あなたと私の人生 (My Life With You)
by maknae123
Summary: Kurogane didn't like Fai when he was a child. He hated him, from the top of his blonde head down to his toes. But as the two grow up together, as they get to know each other, Kurogane finds that maybe he doesn't hate Fai after all. In fact, it might just be the opposite. KuroFai. Nihon AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Just a few things about this story before we get started! I tried to get each chapter 1300-2000 words, and most of them are more around 1600 words.**

**So this story is a complete AU with no spoilers (well maybe some implied spoilers). This is my take on, what would happen if Fai had ended up being raised in Nihon with Kurogane? So please follow, review, and most importantly, enjoy!**

* * *

Fai wasn't like anyone else in Nihon. From his golden hair to his pale skin to his bright blue eyes, he was the exact opposite of everyone in Nihon, especially Kurogane.

And Kurogane didn't like Fai. Not one bit.

He had been only seven when he first met Fai. His father had left Suwa and had gone to the capital for a day and when he came back, there was a weird little kid hiding behind his leg. Everyone had gathered around Kurogane's father, the Lord of Suwa, partly to greet him, but mostly to wonder about the new child.

Kurogane's father had grinned his famous grin and leaned down to pick the kid up, setting him on his shoulder like he would usually do with Kurogane, which made Kurogane clench his jaw and grit his teeth together.

"Everyone," Kurogane's father said in his loud, booming voice. "This is Fai. He is going to be living in the estate with my family from now on."

The murmurs travelling around the square drowned out Kurogane's cry of disbelief. How could someone so weird looking be honored enough to live in the Suwa estate? Hell, the kid wasn't even looking at the people! He was just staring down at his hands shyly, for god's sake. That wasn't the kind of person the Suwa estate needed.

Kurogane's father held up his hand to silence the people, still smiling. "The empress introduced me to Fai while I was in the capital, and told me that Fai has incredible magic that would greatly benefit Suwa, so from now on, he will be the priestess' helper."

That made everyone happy, seeing as how the priestess, Kurogane's mother, was constantly strengthening the barriers, which was taking a toll on her already poor health. With someone there to help her, it would give her time to rest.

But Kurogane was still angry because his father was smiling at that freak like he was his own son, and his mother was so kind, he knew that she would probably welcome him with open arms as well.

No, Kurogane did not like Fai at all. In fact, he was sure that he hated him.

* * *

Kurogane walked quietly on the roka surrounding the estate towards the dining room. His father had told him that they were going to have a large dinner that night, so he was excited. He didn't eat anything the whole day in anticipation.

He opened the sliding door and stopped when he saw his mother kneeling before Fai. He was wearing old, dirty clothes that were torn around the edges, and Kurogane's mother was pulling on one of his sleeves.

"I'll give you a bath tonight, and then give you some clean clothes," She said in her soft voice. Fai had a light blush on his cheeks as he nodded, a large smile pulling at his lips.

"There's my son!" Kurogane's father said, grabbing Kurogane and picking him up to spin him around.

"Father! Stop!" Kurogane cried, even though he loved the feeling of flying through the air.

His father laughed and put him down on one of the mats in front of the table that already had different dishes covering it. "Kurogane, this is Fai. Fai, this is my son, Kurogane."

Fai turned and smiled at him, waving a bit.

Kurogane scoffed and crossed his arms. "Why isn't he saying anything?"

"Hey, why are you being so rude?" His father asked, looking at Kurogane with a scowl. Kurogane just pouted and looked away, feeling annoyed by Fai.

Eventually, everyone sat down, and Fai sat across from Kurogane. Kurogane watched as Fai tried to use his chopsticks, failing at every attempt and eventually settling on eating with his fingers.

Kurogane's father let out a loud laugh. "The empress wasn't lying when she said you don't know much!" He bellowed, making Fai jump and look up. He turned to Kurogane, a soft smile on his face. "The empress told me that they found Fai wandering through the city one day, and he couldn't remember anything but his name. He was only taught a little bit of Nihongo before coming here, so your mother is going to teach him. Make sure you're nice to him, alright?"

Kurogane mumbled an affirmation and picked up his chopsticks to begin eating. He heard a clatter in front of him and looked up to find Fai dropping his chopsticks onto the table. "S-Sorry," Fai whispered as Kurogane's mother picked them up and taught him how to hold them.

Kurogane shoved some rice into his mouth, watching with annoyance as Fai struggled to hold a piece of fish. The fish eventually fell from his shaking chopsticks onto the table, and Fai bit his bottom lip in embarrassment. Kurogane smirked and reached across the table to pick the piece of fish up and pop it into his own mouth. He loved the way Fai looked down in embarrassment; it made him feel superior.

"Are you going to begin training Fai tomorrow?" Kurogane's father asked as he sipped at some sake.

His mother smiled and nodded, and Fai looked up at her as if knowing that they were talking about him. "Yes, I can already tell that Fai has strong magic. I think that he'll be able to learn very quickly," She said.

Kurogane scowled and climbed into his father's lap, grinning up at him. "And you'll take me out to train with my sword, right?"

Kurogane's father grinned and ruffled Kurogane's hair. "Of course. Maybe Fai can come with us too."

Kurogane's smile fell, and he turned to Fai, who tilted his head. Fai pointed to himself, obviously not knowing what was going on. "Swords," Kurogane's mother said to Fai slowly. "Practice."

Fai blinked and nodded. "You… Good?"

Kurogane smirked and crossed his arms. "I'm the best in all of Suwa!"

His father laughed and shook his head. "My ever humble son." He smiled at his wife. "Why don't you and Fai go bathe? I'll take Kurogane to get ready for bed."

Kurogane watched as his mother led Fai to the baths and turned to his father. "Why did you bring him here, anyway?" He asked.

His father chuckled and stood up to lead Kurogane to his bedroom. "Fai had no home in the capital, and they had no use for him there, with all of the strong priestess'. But here, we have a lot of room, and your mother could use all the help she can get."

Kurogane pouted and crossed his arms. "I can help her."

His father picked Kurogane up easily and smiled at him. "You can protect her, and Fai as well. The other kids might be mean to him, so make sure they don't do anything, alright?"

Kurogane frowned but nodded. "Alright. I won't."

* * *

"Young Lord!"

Kurogane groaned when he heard Fai's voice and kept on walking. In the few weeks that Fai had been there, he had been picking up Nihongo pretty quickly, and now that he was able to hold a conversation, he wouldn't stop annoying Kurogane. "Aren't you supposed to be with mother?" Kurogane asked as Fai caught up to him.

Fai smiled a bit. "Lady Suwa ask me to buy herbs! I think we can go together!" He said, his accent heavy.

Once they were outside the walls of the estate and on the dirt road of the town, Kurogane turned to him. "Why would I want to go with you?"

Fai's smile fell and his eyes widened. "I-I thought—"

"That we're friends?" Kurogane interrupted. "Well we're not. Leave me alone from now on, okay? I don't wanna be seen with you."

With that, Kurogane turned and kept on walking, leaving Fai shocked and alone behind him.

* * *

"Hey, that's Fai, right? The boy who's living in the estate now?"

"Young Lord, is that him?"

"Of course it's him, who else looks like that?"

Kurogane watched with his friends as Fai walked down the dirt road alone, a sac full of jars of herbs in his hands. Being weaker than she would like, Kurogane's mother often sent Fai out to run her errands for her. Not that Fai minded; Kurogane had overheard him saying that it helped him learn which herbs to use for different medicines when a servant had offered to do the shopping for him.

"Hey!" Kurogane yelled, startling Fai. "Come over here!"

Fai looked up at them and walked over slowly. "Y-Yes, Young Lord?"

Kurogane snatched the sac from Fai's hands and opened it, pulling different jars out. "I thought you were supposed to be learning how to strengthen the barriers, not running errands like a servant. What, did mother decide that you're not as powerful as everyone thought?"

The other kids laughed and Fai's face became flushed. "I-I offer to do it!"

"What's up with his voice?"

"What, is he dumb or something?"

"Why can't he speak properly?"

The kids laughed and Kurogane threw the sac back at Fai, the jars hitting him square in the chest and causing him to stumble back and fall onto his butt. The other kids laughed harder and Kurogane smirked before reaching out and grabbing the sleeve of the kimono Fai was wearing to pull him up.

He looked at the kimono, which was made from a simple, cream-colored silk. "Where'd you get this, huh?" Kurogane asked as he pulled the sleeve again. "Last time I saw you, you were wearing some kimono made out of cheap cotton."

Fai tried to pull his arm away and looked down. "L-Lady Suwa gave to me…"

"What, for being such a good servant?" Kurogane asked, making all of the kids burst out into laughter.

"I-I have to go, Lady Suwa is waiting," Fai whispered as he finally pulled his arm away and turned to run away.

Kurogane frowned, feeling just a bit of guilt when he saw Fai wiping his eyes as he ran.

* * *

From then on, the other children in Suwa decided that it was okay to pick on Fai. Even if Kurogane didn't instigate it, if Fai ever walked by the group, someone would do something to humiliate him. Even after being in Suwa for a few months and becoming fluent in Nihongo—if not for a strong accent—the kids still picked on him, finding anything and everything they could to make fun of him.

"Hey look, the errand boy has a new kimono!" A girl said as Fai walked passed them, wearing a pale blue silk kimono.

One of the boys ran behind him quietly and pushed him, causing Fai to trip and fall forward. The kids began laughing, even when Fai sat up and rubbed his chin, which was scraped and bleeding. Fai looked down at his kimono, his eyes widening when he saw it stained with dirt and torn in some places.

"Look! He's crying!" Another girl yelled when tears filled Fai's eyes.

"What a baby!" A boy laughed as Fai got up and ran away from the group.

Kurogane ran after Fai, ignoring his friends as he followed the blonde back to the estate. He watched Fai walk into one of the rooms by the shrine and hid outside of it.

"Oh, Fai…" He heard his mother say softly. "What happened?"

He heard Fai sniff. "I-I tripped and fell," Fai said quietly. "I'm really sorry, Lady Suwa…"

"There's nothing to apologize for, Fai, it was just an accident," Kurogane's mother said.

"But I ruined the kimono you gave me!" Fai cried, and Kurogane heard him sob.

"It isn't your fault, Fai," His mother said. "And one kimono doesn't mean anything. I'll have a new one made for you right away. In the mean time, let's clean up that cut, okay?"

Kurogane stepped away from the door and walked away, feeling his anger intensify.

Yes, he definitely hated Fai.

* * *

**PS: in case you don't know, _roka_ is what those wooden decks outside of traditional Japanese homes are called. They kind of act like outdoor hallways**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Ahh, thanks for the reviews you guys! Just so you know, I'm planning on updating every Sunday (it's still 10pm here, I'm good!) so if I forget, just send me a message or a review or something to remind me!**

**Also, just a bit of information about the story. The timeline in the first few chapters are going to move kind of quick (as in a few years could pass by in one chapter). I didn't want to spend too much time on the early chapters, you know? I wanted to get to the good stuff!**

**Alright, enough of me. Enjoy!**

* * *

Fai learned to stay away from Kurogane and the other kids after that.

He would usually only go out if he knew Kurogane was home. Kurogane had once watched him from one of the tall trees of the estate, and saw that if Kurogane wasn't there, the other kids would do nothing but throw useless insults at him.

But if Kurogane was out, Fai would take the long way to get to the market. It was making Kurogane annoyed; obviously Fai was a bit more intelligent than he thought. It had been a year since Fai had arrived, and Kurogane was getting bored of not getting to pick on him.

"Hey, let's go to the river," Kurogane said as he walked out of the estate and to the group of kids. He had heard Fai getting ready to leave, and knew that he took the river as an alternate route. "I wanna try catching some fish."

Kurogane led the kids to the river and rolled up his pants and kicked off his sandals. He had heard that fish were good for keeping up your health, so he was going to try and catch as many as he could for his mother.

"Hey! It's Fai!" One of the kids cried.

Everyone looked up and saw Fai a little bit away, looking at them in disbelief with a sac in his hands. The kids laughed at his face and Kurogane called him over, trying to seem friendly. He glared when he saw what Fai was wearing though—a light, silk kimono with an intricate design stitched on the side. It must have cost a lot.

Kurogane waded out of the river and grabbed the sac from Fai. "Hey, why don't you fish with us?" He asked as he pushed Fai towards the water.

Fai tried to dig his feet into the dirt as he stumbled back towards the river. "I-I'm not dressed for fishing," He said quietly.

Kurogane rolled his eyes and pushed Fai again, and all of the kids stepped out of the way as Fai stumbled back and fell into the water. Fai sat up and looked up at Kurogane in disbelief, his hair dripping wet.

Kurogane smirked. "I guess you're ready for fishing now."

Everyone began to laugh, but Fai just stared at Kurogane, who shifted his weight, his skin crawling under Fai's gaze. Kurogane eventually rolled his eyes and threw the sac towards Fai carelessly.

A loud sound like glass breaking resounded a moment later.

"No!" Fai cried as he pulled the sac from the water and looked through it. He crawled out of the water and dumped the contents of the sac out, revealing broken glass and wet, ruined herbs.

"Should have been more careful!" Kids jeered while laughing.

Kurogane was laughing as well, but stopped when he saw Fai's shoulders begin to shake, not knowing why he was so upset over some herbs. "Hey—"

"These were for Lady Suwa!" Fai cried, interrupting Kurogane. He looked up at the tan boy, tears brimming in his eyes. "She became sick with a fever, so I bought these herbs myself so that I could make her a healing soup! How could you, Kurogane?!"

Everyone became silent and Kurogane didn't know if he should feel guilty or angry.

"How dare you call the Young Lord by his name?!"

"And his first name, at that!"

Kurogane looked around as more and more kids began yelling at Fai, knowing that he should stop them, but not knowing how.

Suddenly, a rock came flying from the crowd and hit Fai on the shoulder, causing him to hunch over in pain. More and more rocks came flying at him and he helplessly tried to cover his head from the onslaught.

"Hey!" Kurogane yelled, stepping in front of Fai. The rocks stopped immediately. He looked down at Fai and knelt down. "Fai, are you—"

Fai looked up, his eyes brimming with tears and fury, before grabbing his sac and pushing past Kurogane to run away.

Kurogane knew that Fai hated him as well now.

* * *

Kurogane walked towards his mother's bedroom later that night, wanting to see how she was doing. He stopped when he heard voices coming from her open door and swallowed.

"Lady Suwa," He heard Fai say. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yes, Fai, thank you," His mother said. "That soup you made me helped me very much. But those herbs must have cost you so much… They're very rare here in Suwa."

"I didn't care," Fai said quietly. "I just wanted to help you get better, Lady Suwa."

"Oh Fai… You're so sweet."

Kurogane couldn't believe his ears. Had Fai gone and bought more herbs? Even though they were apparently so expensive? If Kurogane had known, he would have bought the herbs himself.

He was startled when he heard the door close, and looked up to see Fai standing there, still in his ruined kimono that was now dry, and sliding the door shut.

"Fai," Kurogane said quietly.

"Is there something you need, Young Lord?" Fai asked quietly, and Kurogane could see a dark bruise peeking out from Fai's kimono.

"I…" Kurogane bit his tongue. He was much too proud to apologize. "Why did you buy such expensive herbs?"

"Lady Suwa needed them," Fai said quietly as he turned to walk away. Kurogane followed him like an obedient dog. "Her fever was growing worse, and I knew the only way to break it was to make her that soup."

"You didn't have to though, if I had known—" Kurogane shut his mouth when Fai turned around.

"But you didn't know," Fai said. "You always make fun of me for being Lady Suwa's "errand boy," but you don't know anything. She sends me off to buy the herbs so that I can know exactly what each herb looks like, and then she teaches me how to use them to make different medicines. And forgive me for saying this, Young Lord, but you didn't even know that she was ill. You were too busy throwing me into the river."

Kurogane's eyes widened as he listened to Fai and he couldn't hide his shock because Fai was… Right. He had no idea that his mother was sick until Fai told him so, and he had no clue how herbs worked or even the name of any of them.

Fai bowed and turned away. "Excuse me, Young Lord."

* * *

Kurogane didn't see Fai very much after that.

Kurogane told the other kids that he was bored of picking on Fai, that if they saw him then they should just ignore him. So, that's what everyone did, including Kurogane. If the two ever passed each other in the estate, they would pretend that they didn't see each other.

It continued like this for years. Even after the two turned 14, their feelings didn't change. They both hated each other. Or at least, Kurogane thought they did.

"Kurogane, take Fai out to train with you today," His father said one day, right when Kurogane was about to leave. Fai was there as well, eating lunch with Kurogane's mother as they took a break from the barriers.

"Why?" Kurogane asked as he glanced at Fai, who wasn't looking at him.

"Fai has been here for half of his life, and yet it feels as if he's been trapped inside the estate the entire time," Kurogane's father said. "And I think you two need to get to know each other more. Give him some of your old clothes to train in and take him out."

So that's how Kurogane ended up walking to the training grounds with Fai by his side. "Have you ever used a sword before?" He asked quietly.

"No," Fai answered, his voice hard.

Kurogane sighed and led Fai to the clearing where the rest of the teenagers were waiting.

"Young Lord, what is he doing here?" A girl asked.

"My father wants him to train with us, so he's going to train with us," Kurogane said as he pulled his sword from its sheath. He turned to Fai and smirked. "You ready?"

Fai looked around, confused. "Ready?"

"To fight me," Kurogane said as he lifted his sword.

"I've never fought before," Fai said. "How do you expect me to be able to fight you?"

Kurogane smiled. "I just wanna see how good you are. I'll go easy on you."

A cheap sword was thrown to Fai's feet as the kids backed off, giving the two of them room. Fai picked it up and tested the weight, gripping it tightly in his hands.

"Alright… Then let's fight."

Kurogane learned that Fai was good at blocking. While he wasn't quick enough to get a blow on Kurogane, he was able to block all of Kurogane's attacks with his own blade. Kurogane smirked as he saw an opening and pinned Fai against a tree, the blunt edge of his blade pressed against Fai's neck.

"I win," He said, smirking.

Fai glared up at him and pushed his blade away with his own. "We're not done yet."

The other kids cheered as Kurogane grinned and went back in, trying to go around Fai's blocks. He had him, just a bit more to the right and—

"AHH!"

Kurogane's eyes widened when that ear-piercing scream left Fai's lips and the blonde stumbled back. Kurogane looked down at his sword, which was dripping with blood. Had he used the wrong edge of his sword?

He looked up at Fai, who was clutching his left arm, which was covered in blood, and felt his face pale. He had used the wrong edge of his sword, and had actually injured Fai.

He dropped his sword and stepped closer to Fai, prying his hand off of his arm to get a good look at the cut. He winced; even under all of the blood, he could tell that the cut was deep.

"Kurogane!"

Kurogane gasped and looked up, finding his father standing over him. When he looked around, he didn't see any of the other kids.

"F-Father! What are you doing here?!" Kurogane cried, standing up.

"Your mother had a dream that someone was going to get hurt," His father said in a low, dangerous voice. He looked between Fai's arm and Kurogane's bloody sword before looking back at Kurogane. "What did you do?"

"It was an accident!" Kurogane cried.

"You've never hurt anyone while training," His father said as he knelt beside Fai. "So why now?"

"I didn't mean to, I swear!" Kurogane said, trying to defend himself. He looked to Fai, who was biting his lip to hold in tears of pain.

Kurogane's father easily lifted Fai. "We have to get you to a doctor," He said quietly before turning to Kurogane. "You come, too. I'm not done with you yet."

* * *

Kurogane clenched his pants tightly in his fists as he sat on the cold grass in the courtyard of the estate. After sending Fai to the medic, his father had yelled at him for what felt like hours before deciding to leave him there to think of what he had done. Kurogane had never felt so disgraced.

He looked up when he heard footsteps and was surprised to see Fai standing in front of him, his bandaged arm out and easy to see. Kurogane swallowed and looked down. "I'm sorry," He whispered.

Fai knelt in front of him. "I don't blame you," He said quietly. "I know it was an accident."

Kurogane looked up at him. "But don't you hate me? You must hate me more now than you ever did."

Fai tilted his head. "I never hated you, Young Lord. I simply… Gave up the hope of being your friend." Fai smiled a sad, worn smile. "You never liked me, did you? Because I was so different, right? Because your parents treated someone so strange so kindly… You didn't like me."

Kurogane swallowed and looked down. Hearing it aloud made it seem so much worse. "I'm sorry," He said again.

Fai shook his head. "It's alright… I am strange, so I understand why you would want to have nothing to do with me. You don't have to act any differently towards me, Young Lord."

Kurogane looked up at Fai and loosened his fists. "Don't call me Young Lord. It sounds weird when you say it." His eyes widened when he realized what he had said, and Fai's expression mirrored his own.

"Excuse me?" Fai asked. "It sounds… Weird?"

Kurogane cleared his throat. "Y-Yeah! It sounds weird, okay? So don't call me Young Lord anymore, call me Kurogane. I'll tell everyone that it's alright."

Fai looked down and swallowed. "Is it… Really alright?"

Kurogane looked away and crossed his arms. "I said it was. Now stop asking or else I won't let you call me by my name."

Fai smiled, and Kurogane realized that it was the first smile he had seen from Fai in years.

"Thank you… Kurogane."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Not much to say here, things just keep on moving on in their lives. This chapter really just shows how their relationship begins progressing forward. Like I said, time will move quickly in this fic, so try not to be too shocked when suddenly a year or two pass. **

**Well, that's all I have to say! Please enjoy, review, and follow**

* * *

Kurogane and Fai became closer after that. After Fai's wound healed, Kurogane began taking him out with him, and the other kids immediately began treating Fai as if they had liked him the whole time. They complimented his eyes and his hair and even his pale skin, saying that his skin could rival Lady Suwa's.

"Isn't it strange?" Fai asked as they walked back to the estate. "The fact that they do whatever you do?"

Kurogane shrugged. "I'm used to it. It's been like this since for as long as I can remember."

Fai smiled a bit. "Well, don't worry. I won't become a mindless drone for you to control."

"Oi! What the hell did you just say?!" Kurogane yelled, making Fai laugh.

"Oh no, Kurogane is mad!" Fai cried as he ran into the estate.

Once they were inside, Kurogane stopped and crossed his arms, not wanting to get yelled at for running around. "Whatever. Just go to your training."

"As you wish!" Fai said as he turned to go to the shrine.

Time went on like that, with the two bickering playfully, acting like they hated each other but really loving the friendship they had. A year passed quickly, and the two were inseparable. Anything that happened would only bring them closer.

"Lady Suwa!"

* * *

Kurogane swallowed as he sat by his mother's bedside, watching her as he slept. Fai had found her passed out in the shrine, pale and breathing shortly, and Kurogane had carried her to her room to sleep properly. He shook his head and shut his eyes; his father was out hunting demons. What if something happened while he was gone? He shook his head again and opened his eyes to look at his mother. No, nothing would happen. They had the best doctors, and Fai knew all of the best remedies for healing the sick. She was still breathing, and she would keep on breathing for a long time, Kurogane would make sure of it.

But where was Fai? After following Kurogane to his mother's room, Fai had left, and he hadn't seen him since. And that was hours ago.

After finding someone to stay with his mother, Kurogane left and began looking around for Fai, eventually coming to the shrine, where he heard quietly mumblings.

He opened the door and stopped short, his eyes widening.

Fai was sitting in front of the shrine, his head bowed a bit and his hands clasped in front of him. Kurogane could hear him quietly reciting the prayers and spells he had heard his mother say so many times.

But Fai… Fai was so much different than his mother.

Surrounding Fai was a blue light, as blue as his eyes, and the room felt cold. Even when Kurogane stepped inside and the floor creaked, Fai did not stop his prayer. Kurogane knelt beside Fai, seeing that his eyes were closed as his lips moved quickly.

Was Fai really so advanced at such a young age? Even though Kurogane harbored none of his mother's magic abilities, he could feel the strong magic practically dripping from Fai's body. When he asked, Kurogane's mother had told him that her magic wasn't very strong, compared to some priestesses, and it took her years and years to become strong enough to become Suwa's priestess. Yet here Fai was, looking as if he had been performing the same duties for years.

Eventually, Fai let out a long breath and the blue light surrounding him faded as the room returned to a normal temperature. Fai opened his eyes and lowered his hands, blinking when he saw Kurogane.

"Oh, Kurogane," He said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just… Trying to find you," Kurogane said slowly, finding it hard to form proper sentences. "What were you just doing?"

Fai's face became flushed and he looked to the torch standing on the side of the shrine. "I was strengthening the barriers… With Lady Suwa so sick, I thought that maybe if I could get the barriers strong enough, then Lord Suwa could come back to be with her for a bit."

Kurogane simply stared at Fai in shock. "You can… Strengthen the barriers?"

Fai nodded. "Lady Suwa has been training me since I arrived here, but I was only able to begin performing her duties in her place a few years ago. Before that, my magic wasn't strong enough." Fai swallowed and looked at Kurogane. "Um… Why are you staring at me?"

Kuroane blinked and looked down. "Sorry, it just… It surprised me, is all."

Fai smiled and stood up to put out the torches. "I hope the barriers are strong enough now. I'll keep on working hard so that Lord Suwa can come back."

Kurogane decided that he didn't hate Fai, not at all, and he didn't like him, either. He adored him, because thanks to him, Kurogane's father could come back and his mother could rest.

* * *

"Ah, so you saw Fai strengthening the barriers?" Kurogane's mother asked the next morning. After she had woken up, Kurogane had asked her about Fai and what he had seen.

"Mother, I don't understand," Kurogane said. "He's so young, but he can perform your duties just fine."

She smiled and reached out to take Kurogane's hand. "Fai has very powerful magic, much greater than my own, and possibly even greater than any of the priestesses in the capital."

"Is it because of where he came from?" Kurogane asked.

His mother hummed in thought. "Possibly. Perhaps he comes from a place full of strong, magical beings. But we will never know, will we? All we can do is be thankful that he is here to help us."

The door slid open and Kurogane grinned when he saw his father standing there, still in his armor and his sword still on his hip. He smiled when he saw his wife and son and walked over to sit beside Kurogane.

"I hope I didn't take too long," He said as he looked down at his wife.

She smiled and shook her head. "Not at all."

Kurogane decided to give them some time alone and left, closing the door behind him. He walked to the courtyard, finding Fai lounging under one of the trees with a book of spells in his hand.

"Can you hurt anyone with your magic?" Kurogane asked as he sat next to Fai.

Fai shrugged and closed the book. "I'll never tell, Kuro-curious."

Kurogane felt his eye twitch. "What the hell did you just call me?" He asked in a low voice.

Fai burst out laughing so hard that he fell onto his side. "Your face! Your face! So priceless!"

"Oi! You idiot, just because I let you call me by my name doesn't mean you can butcher it!" Kurogane yelled as he hit Fai—lightly—over the head.

Fai laughed and sat up. "But your name is so… Boring! What about Kuro-rin, or Kuro-chan?"

"I'm not a girl!" Kurogane yelled, which only made Fai laugh harder.

"Uh oh, Kuro-sama is gonna get me!" Fai cried as he jumped up and climbed up the tree he had been sitting under, reminding Kurogane of a cat that wanted to hide from its master.

"Get down here so I can kick your ass!" Kurogane yelled, shaking his fist.

"That doesn't seem like a very good idea!" Fai called down.

Kurogane shook his head and sat back down, picking up the book Fai had been reading and opening it to where he had left off. "Healing spells?" He mumbled.

Fai climbed down a moment later and sat beside Kurogane. "It's not good to look at other peoples' things, Kuro-rin."

Kurogane rolled his eyes and shut the book. "Why are you reading about healing spells? I thought you were good at those."

Fai's smile faltered a bit. "I never said that. I'm good at remedies, Kuro-sama. I can mix up some herbs to create something that can heal and cure, but when it comes to magic… Well, I'm afraid I fall short."

"What do you mean?" Kurogane asked.

"When my magic kept on growing, Lady Suwa told me that I probably came from a land where magic is a very common thing," Fai explained. He smiled a bit. "She said that I probably would have been a very strong magician there. But somehow, I ended up here, in Nihon, and I don't remember how."

"Yeah, I know that," Kurogane said, wanting Fai to get to the point.

"Well, she said that I should learn more about my magic," Fai said. "More than just strengthening barriers, so she gave me spell books to learn. But… It seems that I can only learn attack spells. No matter how hard I try, I forget all of the healing spells."

Kurogane looked down at the book and then back up at Fai. "So what? Just strengthen the barriers when my mother can't and it'll be the same as healing people because you'll be preventing them from getting hurt."

Fai's eyes widened and he looked at Kurogane. A smile broke out on his face. "Wow… Kuro-tan, you actually sounded smart for a second."

"Oi, what did you say? AND THAT'S NOT MY NAME, DAMMIT!"


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: So, things continue to move on in Kurogane's and Fai's lives and they begin to move closer as their lives change. **

**One thing I wanted to let everyone know. This story is going to be about 19 chapters. I'll try to squeeze in one or two more somewhere, but I wanted you all to know. I like stories that are around 20-25 chapters, so I try to get my stories around there. I'm more of a one-shot person, so writing a chaptered fic was a bit of a challenge. But I wanted to try it!**

**Okay, enough of me. Enjoy, review, and follow!**

* * *

Kurogane's mother became very sick after that.

She began having constant fainting spells and it seemed as though she always had a fever. Kurogane brought her all the fish he could catch and made sure she was getting all the rest she could, but nothing made a difference.

She was dying, and all they all knew it.

Kurogane leaned against the door as he watched Fai, who was sitting in the shrine and strengthening the barriers. When he finished, he turned and wasn't surprised to see Kurogane.

"Is she better?" Fai asked.

Kurogane shook his head and Fai stood up to leave the shrine and sit on the roka with Kurogane, looking up at the sky. Kurogane looked at him and frowned. "You need to rest," He said, taking in the bags under Fai's eyes and his pale, ashy skin. "You've been praying non-stop for days."

Fai shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "I'm fine. But the barriers—"

"Are fine," Kurogane said. "Go to sleep."

Fai swallowed. "But Lady Suwa is so sick," He whispered. "I want to be able to get those barriers as strong as possible so that Lord Suwa can come back."

"I don't think it's possible for the barriers to get any stronger," Kurogane said. "You keep on thinking of everyone else; you need to think about your needs for a change."

Fai smiled and leaned against Kurogane. "Wow, Kuro-rin is so sweet… I could fall in love right now."

Kurogane felt blood rush to his face and he looked away to hide it. "I-Idiot! Just go rest before I punch you so hard I knock you out!"

Fai laughed and stood up to go to his room. "As you command, Young Lord."

Kurogane crossed his arms and looked away and tried to ignore the fact that he wanted to hear a nickname.

* * *

Kurogane opened the door to the shrine, the pouring rain behind him not able to drown out the sound of Fai's insistent prayers.

"Fai," Kurogane said quietly, making Fai flinch.

"Don't," Fai whispered. "I'm praying for Lady Suwa."

Kurogane swallowed the lump in his throat and walked towards Fai, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Fai…"

Fai shut his eyes tightly. "Please… Please don't say it…"

Kurogane knelt beside Fai and pulled him into his arms for the first time to allow him to cry. Fai sobbed quietly into Kurogane's shoulder, and Kurogane let himself cry a few silent tears as well.

Once the two had wiped their eyes, they sat out on the roka, watching as the rain fell in front of them. "She wasn't in pain, was she?" Fai asked quietly.

Kurogane shook his head. "She was sleeping and just… Passed."

Fai nodded and looked down. The doctors would only let Kurogane and his father into the room where Kurogane's mother was lying on her deathbed, so Fai had gone to the shrine to pray helplessly while he waited for the news.

"How is Lord Suwa?" Fai whispered.

"He's still with her," Kurogane answered. "I think… he doesn't know what to do."

Fai clenched his fists. "Do any of us?"

Kurogane looked at him and put his hand over Fai's trembling fists. "Once this rain clears up, we'll have her funeral. A priestess from the capital will come to perform the ceremony, but once it's done, you're going to take over the position as priestess. Well… Priest, I suppose."

Fai nodded. "Until… You get married to the new priestess…"

Kurogane looked away. "Right…"

Kurogane wasn't sure why, but whenever someone spoke of him getting married, he felt uneasy. He didn't want to get married to some new priestess. A new priestess wasn't needed, after all. Fai could perform the duties and then some. All he needed was Fai.

Kurogane shook his head and looked at Fai. "I should get back to my father."

Fai nodded and stood up with him. They looked at each other for a moment before Fai looked down. "I'm so very sorry… For your loss…"

"Don't be," Kurogane whispered. "She was a mother to both of us. The pain we feel is the same."

Kurogane watched as more tears filled Fai's eyes and drip down his nose. "Right… Y-You should go back to Lord Suwa."

Kurogane nodded, and turned to leave.

* * *

It wasn't long after that that Kurogane's father was killed.

"This demon… It was stronger than any other demon we've faced," A warrior that had gone with Kurogane's father reported. "It was able to break through the barrier, and Lord Suwa told us all to stay back, but… It began killing the rest of the men, and only a few of us were able to escape. I'm sorry, Young Lord, but this is all we were able to retrieve."

The man lifted a silver sword, and Kurogane picked it up, looking down at the dragon's head that was carved into the hilt. It was the sword that had been passed down through the Suwa line, the prized Ginryu. "You damn old man," He mumbled to himself as he looked into the ruby eyes on the dragon's head.

Fai, who was standing behind him, took a step forward. "Kuro…"

Kurogane turned to him. "Go strengthen the barriers. I don't want another demon like that getting through. I'll go take care of this beast myself."

After Kurogane left, Fai immediately went to the shrine and strengthened the barriers as much as he could, not allowing himself a break until he knew Kurogane was safe.

Hours later, the door to the shrine opened, startling Fai. He turned, about to yell at whoever had interrupted him, but stopped when he saw Kurogane. He stood up and ran over to him, looking at the blood on his hands.

"Don't worry," Kurogane said. "This is from that demon. I didn't get a scratch."

Fai sighed in relief and shook his head. "Kuro… I'm so sorry… Your father… If I had only strengthened the barriers more, then—"

"It's not your fault," Kurogane said quietly. "My father… I think it was his time, and I think he was happy to have been able to die in battle like that. And now he's off with my mother, wherever souls go when they've died." He smiled a bit. "And besides, once you came in here to strengthen the barriers, the demons couldn't even get close."

Fai swallowed and reached up, putting his hands onto Kurogane's cheeks. Kurogane stilled and looked down at Fai, who was staring up at him with wet, blue eyes. "I'm sorry," Fai whispered.

Kurogane swallowed and lowered his gaze. "Don't be… Everyone dies…"

"It doesn't change the fact that it hurts," Fai whispered as he began to lower his hands.

Fai's eyes widened when Kurogane grabbed his wrists, keeping Fai's hands on his cheeks. "Just promise you won't die for a long time, alright?" Kurogane asked quietly. "A long, long time…"

Fai smiled a bit and nodded. "I promise."

Kurogane let out a soft sigh and nodded, closing his eyes. He didn't know what he felt for Fai, but he knew that he needed him right there by his side.

* * *

"So, how does it feel to be the Lord of Suwa?" Fai asked weeks later.

Kurogane had been at peace with his father dying. He said that his father probably knew that he was ready to take over his position and was ready to join Kurogane's mother in death. Fai was the only one who had been there when Kurogane had cried, and when the two were sitting together under the moonlight, Kurogane had threatened to kill Fai if he told anyone.

However, with his father's death came his responsibilities, and for the last few weeks Kurogane was stuck with different paperwork from the capital to officially name him head of the land.

After signing the last paper, Kurogane had gone out to the courtyard, where Fai was lounging on the grass. "It's fine now that I'm done signing things," Kurogane mumbled as he rubbed his hand.

Fai smiled and rolled onto his stomach. "What should I call you now? Kuro-lord?"

Kurogane glared at him. "You call me by my name, idiot."

"Hmm… I like Kuro-lord, much more," Fai said while grinning. A moment later, however, the smile fell. "So… Does this mean that you'll be finding a wife?"

Kurogane swallowed, not looking at Fai. "I'm in no hurry. If I find a wife, then you'll be out of a job."

Fai let out a small laugh. "Yeah… I guess that's true, isn't it?"

Kurogane looked at him. "Just don't worry about it, okay? There's no one I want to marry right now, so just keep the barriers strong."

Kurogane then got up and started heading to his room, and for some reason he thought that Fai looked a bit disappointed.

* * *

"Can I talk to you?" Fai asked a few mornings later while the two were eating breakfast. Kurogane shrugged and Fai took a deep breath. "I had a dream last night, and in it… The princess spoke to me."

"The princess?" Kurogane asked. "You mean that girl… What's her name… Tomoyo?"

Fai nodded. "Yes, Princess Tomoyo. She came into my dream, and I asked her about Suwa, and Suwa's new priestess. She told me that there wouldn't be a new priestess. She said, not until I'm unable to perform my duties."

"What does that mean?" Kurogane asked.

Fai picked at his food with his chopsticks. Although he learned how to use chopsticks eventually, he wasn't as good at using them as everyone else was.

"I think she meant to say that… I'm going to be Suwa's priest until I become too weak to perform the duties," Fai said quietly. "I think she meant that I'm the new priest." Fai shook his head. "So then I asked her about you. I asked if you would be getting married to someone who wasn't a priestess then, and she told me that fate has something strange planned for you."

Kurogane sipped at his tea and gazed at Fai, who was looking down at his food. "Strange, huh?" He mumbled quietly.

Fai smiled, not hearing Kurogane. "Oh well, let's wait and see what happens."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Things are beginning to get cheesy and serious between these two. I wonder how long it will take them to finally admit their feelings... **

**Please follow, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

"You need new clothes," Kurogane said when Fai walked into the dining room to eat dinner. A year had passed since his parents' death, a year of taking care of Suwa and fighting demons.

Fai blinked and looked down at the silk kimono he was wearing. "What's wrong with what I have?"

"You've grown," Kurogane said while sipping on some sake. "Your kimonos are too short for you."

Fai rolled his eyes and sat down, snatching the glass from Kurogane's hand to sip at his sake. "Then do something about it, Kuro-lord."

Kurogane grabbed the bottle of sake and took a drink straight from it. "Fine. Have a servant take your measurements and I'll have some ordered for you from the capital."

"Ohh, the capital?" Fai asked, nudging Kurogane a bit. "People are going to start thinking I'm your trophy wife if you buy me such fancy things."

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "Who cares what stupid people think?"

Fai grinned. "So are you saying I am your trophy wife? Well in that case, I want a horse, a carriage, a hair clip—"

"Shut up, you idiot!" Kurogane yelled as he hit Fai over the head and drank more sake. He turned away from Fai, who was lying on the floor laughing, and tried to calm his racing heart.

* * *

"Wh-What is all of this?" Fai asked as he stood outside of the estate, watching as servants carried parcel after parcel inside from a carriage from the capital.

"The clothes I ordered you," Kurogane said as he stood next to Fai.

"How much did you order me?!" Fai cried, turning to Kurogane. "Enough to wear a different outfit every day of the year?"

"You're Suwa's priest now," Kurogane said. "You need clothes for different occasions, and you need proper robes to pray in."

Fai chewed on his lower lip and turned to the servant that had come from the capital. "That's everything, Lord Suwa. I'll be on my way now." He bowed to the both of them before climbing onto the carriage and leading the horse out of Suwa.

Fai led Kurogane inside, to the room where the parcels had been left. He picked one up and removed the brown paper, letting it fall to the floor as he held up a pale, cream-colored silk kimono.

"These are beautiful," Fai whispered as he ran his fingers over the silk.

Kurogane leaned against the wall. "You sound like a woman."

Fai turned to him and stuck his tongue out before carefully folding the kimono back up. He picked up another parcel and pulled a note from the string holding the paper closed. "Fai and Kurogane, I noticed that there was no request for clothes to be made for Kurogane, so I decided to give these to you as a gift for becoming the new Lord of Suwa. Sincerely, Princess Tomoyo."

"The princess?" Kurogane asked. "I've never even met her. Why is she sending me things?"

Fai grinned and ripped the paper open, pulling out three dark kimonos. Kurogane groaned and grabbed one, holding it up and looking at the dragon design that was stitched into the side. "I guess this isn't too bad," He mumbled.

Fai grinned and picked up another parcel. "You can wear that when you get married." He opened the parcel and pulled out a long, white furisode that had a blue phoenix stitched into the back. "Wow…"

"What the hell?! Is that a furisode?!" Kurogane yelled when he saw it. "They do know that you're a man, right?"

Fai smiled and turned to Kurogane, sending him a wink. "Or am I?"

Kurogane rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall, watching as Fai unwrapped different kimonos and a few more furisodes. He eventually got to the larger parcels and opened one, gasping when he saw what was inside of it. Kurogane walked over to him and looked down, watching as Fai ran his hands over the silk in front of him.

"Those are your new robes," Kurogane said quietly.

"They're so… I'm speechless," Fai whispered as he stared at the robes. He opened the rest of the parcels, looking at the different sets of robes and not saying a word. Finally, he picked one of the sets up and smiled. "I'm going to go try them on."

Kurogane watched as Fai ran out of the room, and walked out of the room to sit outside on the roka as he waited. A little while later, he heard one of the doors slide open and looked up, his jaw falling when he saw Fai step out in his new robes.

"So? How do I look?" Fai asked as he walked over to Kurogane.

Kurogane shut his mouth and swallowed, standing up to get a proper look at Fai. He swallowed again, his mouth suddenly dry as he stared at Fai. Kurogane had never seen someone look so beautiful in a set of robes since… Since he had last seen his mother.

"They look… Good," Kurogane mumbled, at a loss for words.

Fai grinned and poked at Kurogane's cheek. "Wow, you look completely shocked. Are you sure I look good, or so I look too ugly for words?"

"No!" Kurogane yelled before he could stop himself. He cleared his throat and looked away. "You look good… I'm not lying."

Fai smiled and looked down. "I should put these away…"

"Wait," Kurogane said, stopping him. He pulled a small parcel out of the sleeve of his kimono and handed it Fai. "I wanted to give you this myself."

Fai eyed him suspiciously and opened the parcel, his eyes widening. Inside were four hair clips, painted with a glossy finish and each in the shape of a different flower. One was white, one black, one blue, and one pink, and Fai looked up at Kurogane in shock.

"Did you order these for me?" Fai asked quietly.

Kurogane nodded and lifted the blue clip—Kurogane loved it because it matched the shade of Fai's eyes. "You told me you wanted a horse, a carriage, and a hair clip. Since I couldn't get you the horse or the carriage, I decided to get you a few hair clips," He said quietly.

Fai blinked, remembering when he had said that. "You… You remembered that? But I was just kidding around, I didn't think you'd actually—"

"Shut up before I send them back," Kurogane mumbled. He pushed back some of the hair in Fai's face and clipped it back, lowering his hands and looking at Fai. In his new robes with his hair pinned back, Kurogane wasn't quite sure how to feel, or even what he was feeling.

He decided that the feeling of his stomach flipping over a few times was because of the fact that Fai looked so much like a girl, not because of the fact that Fai looked much more beautiful than any girl Kurogane had ever seen.

* * *

"Why don't you show me some of your magic?" Kurogane asked one day after Fai had finished strengthening the barriers.

Fai smiled as he walked out of the shrine, smoothing down his robes. "You just saw me use some of my magic."

"Not like that," Kurogane said. "Train with me."

"Hyuu…" Fai said, looking away.

"What the hell kind of noise was that?" Kurogane asked.

Fai smiled. "I can't whistle, so I do that instead! Hyuu hyuu!"

Kurogane cringed. "Just train with me."

Fai hummed and tapped his chin. "Should I?" He looked at Kurogane and held up two fingers. "Well, since you asked for it."

Kurogane opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he saw a pale blue light gather at the tips of Fai's fingers. He watched in awe as Fai moved his fingers quickly, writing in some rune that Kurogane didn't recognize.

Kurogane grunted when he felt a weight hit his chest and pushed him back until he hit the tree in the courtyard behind him. He felt something tighten around him, binding him to the tree. "Hey, what the hell?!" He yelled as he struggled, looking down at the blue light that wrapped around him like ropes.

Fai laughed and stepped into the grass, the ends of his robes barely touching it as he walked towards Kurogane. He pursed his lips and Kurogane blinked when Fai began whistling, the notes wrapping around him like a warm, heavy blanket.

"I thought you said you couldn't whistle," Kurogane said when Fai finished.

Fai smiled. "Well, technically I can't. If I did, a spell would be cast." He stepped closer to Kurogane. "Like the one I just performed. Now no one can see us or hear us. I could do whatever I wanted to you, Kuro-tan."

Kurogane glared at Fai as he walked closer, still struggling against the binds. He stilled when he felt just how close Fai was, and looked down at him. He swallowed, able to see the light, barely-there freckles that were scattered over the bridge of Fai's nose. He could feel Fai's breath on his face, and for some reason his stomach felt like it was twisting itself into a knot.

"Like what?" Kurogane asked, doing everything in his power to keep his voice from trembling.

Fai looked up at Kurogane and licked his lips. "Anything I wanted."

Kurogane swallowed, his mouth dry. Fai was so close that if Kurogane just leaned his head down, their lips would brush. He began moving his head down, but right when their lips were about to touch, Fai stepped back, smiling at Kurogane a bit.

"But not that, Kuro-sama," Fai said quietly.

Kurogane opened his mouth and tried to move forward before remembering the binds. "Damn it, let me go!"

Fai chuckled and the binds disappeared. Kurogane growled and grabbed Fai, turning him around to push him against the tree. "I said not that, Kuro-puu," Fai said, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

"And why not, Fai?" Kurogane asked, hissing Fai's name.

Fai's smile faltered a bit and then came back shining bright. "Because, you're going to get married eventually, and—"

"God, would you stop talking about that?" Kurogane interrupted, letting go of Fai so that he could run his fingers through his hair. "I'm tired of you always bringing up when I'm going to get married. I don't have any plans on getting married, so stop thinking about it, okay? You're always worrying about the future that you can't stop to enjoy the present!"

Fai blinked, his mouth open and his eyes wide. "K-Kuro…"

"Whether I get married or not has nothing to do with what's happening right now," Kurogane said quietly. "So stop worrying about it."

Fai blinked and looked down, and Kurogane suddenly felt a wind that he hadn't felt before. Fai must have lowered the barrier surrounding them, he figured.

He gave Fai one last glance before turning and leaving.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Almost forgot it was Sunday! I went to my school**'**s prom last night and might have had a biiit too much fun hehe. Anyway, about the story. **

**So Kurogane and Fai keep on getting closer, of course, but now Fai's past is coming back to haunt him, even though he can't remember it. I wanted to include some of the original story, so I tried a... variation on it, I guess? You'll all see when you read.**

**Alright, enough talking. Review, follow, and enjoy!**

* * *

Fai tried to avoid Kurogane, and he didn't try to hide it. If Fai saw Kurogane coming towards him, he would duck into whatever room he could and pretend to be in a conversation with whatever servant was in there so that Kurogane would leave him alone.

Kurogane sighed and shook his head. He shouldn't care if Fai wanted to avoid them. They were just friends and nothing else. At least, that's what Kurogane wanted to believe.

So Kurogane was surprised when he woke up one morning to find Fai looking down at him. He jumped and sat up, almost grabbing his sword in the automatic defense he had built up.

"Idiot, don't startle me like that!" Kurogane yelled, wondering how Fai had even been able to get into his room without him noticing. Kurogane always woke up if someone even stood outside of his door, so the fact that Fai was able to get onto his futon without him waking was beyond him.

Fai leaned back and looked at his hands. "Sorry, but I had to talk to you."

Kurogane sighed and scooted back to lean against the wall behind him. "Alright, about what?"

Fai chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. "I had this dream… And I was a child. And I think it was a memory from before I came to Nihon."

Kurogane straightened up. "What happened in the dream?"

Fai shook his head. "Nothing, really. First, I was outside. The place was very cold, with lots of snow everywhere. And then I walked into this room, and a tall man with long hair was standing there with someone who looked just like me standing next to him."

"Someone who looked just like you?" Kurogane asked.

Fai nodded. "They looked at me and smiled, and… Then I woke up."

Kurogane looked at Fai, who was staring down at the floor. "What do you think it means?"

Fai shook his head. "I have no idea. I just thought that I should tell you."

Kurogane nodded and sighed, throwing his blanket off of him so that he could stand up. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it now. If you have anymore dreams like that then tell me, alright?"

Fai nodded and stood up to leave, smiling and giving Kurogane a small wave before closing the door behind him.

* * *

Kurogane sighed as he walked towards the shrine. It was a hot afternoon, and all he wanted to do was lounge in the shade eating some cold fish with Fai. He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he walked, but stopped suddenly when he heard a noise come from the shrine.

He ran forward and slid the door open, his eyes widening when he saw Fai lying on his side. He ran to him and knelt down, picking him up and shaking him gently. "Fai, wake up," He said, the same fear that would course through him when he saw his mother faint running through his veins.

Fai groaned and opened his eyes slowly. "I-I heard… This voice…" He said quietly, his eyes not quite focusing on Kurogane's face.

"What voice?" Kurogane asked, trying to snap Fai out of his trance.

"I… I don't know," Fai whispered. "They kept on saying… Yui… Over and over again."

"Yui?" Kurogane mumbled to himself.

Fai's eyes rolled back and his head fell back as he passed out again. Kurogane sighed and picked Fai up to carry him to his room.

"Yui…" Kurogane whispered as he put Fai onto his futon. "Could that be… A name?"

* * *

When Fai woke up, Kurogane was still by his side. "Are you alright?" Kurogane asked as he helped Fai sit up.

Fai rubbed his forehead. "I had… A dream…"

"Tell me," Kurogane said immediately.

Fai looked at him and swallowed before nodding and closing his eyes.

_Fai turned around and blinked, staring at the man in front of him. He was tall, with long black hair and a kind smile on his face. Fai looked down, finding a white, fur-trimmed coat with blue designs covering his body._

"_Who are you?" He asked the man as he took a step back. He gasped and put a hand to his lips; he had not spoken Nihongo, but instead some language he did not know he knew. It fit on his tongue perfectly, his lips moving easily to form the words, nothing like Nihongo, which he still butchered sometimes._

"_It seems the spell I cast on you worked wonders," The man said, his voice as gentle as his smile._

"_The spell?" Fai asked. "Are you a dream seer?"_

_The man nodded. "Indeed I am, Yui."_

_Fai blinked. "Yui? My name is Fai."_

_The man's smile fell for a moment before coming back. "Ah… How interesting. It seemed that you did remember something, but… You remembered the wrong something."_

"_What are you talking about?" Fai asked._

"_You remembered the name Fai," The man said. "Your brother's name. You took it for yourself."_

_Fai shook his head and stepped forward, opening his mouth to ask more questions, when the man disappeared._

"A brother?" Kurogane asked quietly when Fai finished.

Fai was staring down at his hands as if they weren't real. "Does this mean… That my real name is Yui?"

Kurogane looked at him. "No, your name is Fai."

"But that man—"

"Doesn't know you," Kurogane interrupted. "I don't care if you were born with another name. When we met, you said your name was Fai. So your name is Fai."

Fai stared up at Kurogane before smiling a bit and shaking his head. "Oh, Kuro-sama… I'm not sure that's how it works, but… It does help me a bit."

"That man must be the one who sent you to Nihon," Kurogane said. "And if he's coming after you now, then he must want something. But remember that he sent you away. He's nothing to you now."

Fai looked up at him and nodded. "I know."

* * *

_Fai opened his eyes and took a stumbling step back when he saw the man from his previous dreams standing in front of him._

"_Who are you?" Fai asked. He was speaking the strange language again._

"_My name is Ashura," The man said. "You don't remember me, or anything from your childhood… I could tell you about your past, if you would like."_

_Fai frowned. "I don't need to know anything. I have a wonderful life right now."_

_Fai cried out and gripped the sides of his head, feeling as if his skull was about to crack open. "Ah, yes," Ashura said quietly. "I can see that you're living a very luxurious life as a priest, living with… Why, with the land's guardian. He's at the very forefront of your mind; he must be important to you."_

_Fai gasped when the feeling left his head and he glared up at Ashura. "He has nothing to do with this."_

"_Yes, yes," Ashura said, waving his hand. "But you see, I could give you an even better life, one where you wouldn't have to lift a finger."_

"_I like my life now," Fai hissed._

"_But Yui, I need you," Ashura said, stepping closer to Fai. "Your magic is so strong, even stronger than your brother's."_

"_Who… Who is my brother?" Fai asked quietly, his curiosity getting the better of him._

"_A young man named Fai who looks just like you," Ashura said. "Well… He did. He passed away recently."_

"_How?" Fai asked._

"_His magic ran out," Ashura said, his smile suddenly frightening Fai. "I need as much magic as possible. I took all of Fai's magic, and now I need yours."_

_Fai took a step back. "Then why did you send me away? To Nihon?"_

"_You and your brother were born to my sister," Ashura said. "And she died giving birth to you. Shortly after, her husband committed suicide. Twins are seen as a very bad omen in our world, you see."_

"_Your… world?" Fai asked._

"_There are multiple worlds," Ashura said. "Nihon is one. Where I am is another. I knew that the people would not be happy until one of you left, so you said that you would leave. I decided to not make you suffer with the memories and erased what you had and sent you to a random world, and you ended up in Nihon. But I need you back, Yui. Now that Fai is gone, that is."_

_Fai shook his head. "You're just a monster… There's no way I would ever go to you."_

_Ashura's face darkened. "You don't need to come to me. All I need is your magic."_

_Fai opened his mouth to say something, but fell to his knees when the same, skull-splitting sensation from before returned. He gasped when it disappeared and panted lightly as he looked up at Ashura._

"_Ah, so you live in the province called Suwa," Ashura said quietly. "Very well, then. You'll regret your decision, Yui."_

Fai gasped as he opened his eyes, finding himself in the shrine; he had been in the middle of a prayer when suddenly he had been pulled into a dream. He stood up and ran out, tripping over his robes as he tried to find Kurogane.

"Fai, there you are," Kurogane said as he rounded the corner.

Fai fell into Kurogane's chest and looked up at him, feeling shaky and paranoid. "K-Kuro…"

Kurogane grabbed Fai's shoulders to steady him. "Fai? What's wrong?"

"Something bad is going to happen," Fai whispered. "That man from my dream… He told me that he wanted me back, and that I would regret not going back to him. I'm afraid that he's going to do something to Suwa."

Kurogane nodded and gripped the sword he kept on his hip. "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to Suwa."


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I used something canon from the series in this chapter (well, kind of canon. I twisted it in my own way). **

**Kurogane has to protect Suwa and Fai from any danger, but what if he's too late? Review, follow, and enjoy**

* * *

Kurogane chewed on his bottom lip as he paced along the grass where the barriers were set. No demons had shown up, not even in the distance.

"Lord Suwa, there are no demons," A young warrior said. "We should go back."

"No," Kurogane said. "Fai said that something might—"

Everyone turned to Kurogane, wondering what had stopped him from speaking. "Lord?" Someone asked, getting his attention.

"Demons aren't going to come to Suwa," Kurogane said quietly before turning to the rest of his men. "On your horses! We need to get back to Suwa immediately."

* * *

Fai ran out of the estate and watched with wide eyes as men marched into Suwa, wearing coats similar to the one Fai had been wearing in his dream. He clenched his teeth and pointed two fingers up, writing quickly in the air and creating a barrier between the men and the innocent people.

All of the men turned to him and began marching towards the estate. His eyes widened and he turned around, looking at all of the servants that had gathered behind him. "Go!" He yelled. "Run to safety!"

He turned to his left to look at the rest of the servants, his eyes widening when an arrow shot out and pierced the left breast of a young woman before he could stop it.

"Go!" He yelled to the rest of the servants, who picked up the fallen woman to carry her to safety, even though they all knew it was useless.

Fai cried out when he felt a force hit his back and turned around, looking at the man who had just used magic to attack him. Fai grit his teeth and used his own magic attacking man after man as they backed him into a corner.

He felt his back hit a tree and looked at the men still walking towards him. They walked as if in a trance, like they were dolls being controlled by a puppet master, and it seemed that no matter what he did, they didn't stop.

He held up his hand, knowing that he had to begin performing fatal spells, when an arrow flew through the air and pierced his palm, spearing straight through his hand.

Fai screamed and grabbed his wrist with his other hand as he fell back against the tree, watching as blood dripped onto the grass. He looked up as two men grabbed his arms to hold him still and two others came up, one of them holding his head and forcing his left eyelid open as the other lifted a jar.

Fai tried to shut his eyes, but the man kept him still as the second man grew closer. Fai stared in fear and shock as a gloved hand reached towards his eye, and then he screamed.

* * *

Kurogane jumped off of his horse before it had come to a complete stop and ran to the crowd. "What happened?!" He asked, grabbing the shoulders of the first person he saw.

"A crowd of strange men appeared!" The girl cried. "Fai created a barrier to protect us, but they turned on him and went into the estate!"

Kurogane cursed and let go of her, pulling out his sword to run into the estate when a blood-curdling scream carried over to him. Kurogane grew still and his hands felt numb, and the next thing he knew he was in the estate, cutting at every body he could see.

All of the men turned to face him, trying to hold him back, but Kurogane easily cut them down until only a few men were left, surrounding something around the tree.

The two kneeling down stood up and faced Kurogane, and Kurogane felt his blood grow cold when he saw a jar in one of the men's bloody hands, and inside of it…

Kurogane screamed as he charged at the men, stabbing Ginryu through them and looking at what their bodies had been hiding.

Fai was sitting on the grass, his head bowed and his body limp as two other men held him up by his arms. Kurogane clenched Ginryu tightly in his hands when he saw blood staining the front of Fai's kimono and dripping onto the grass.

He stabbed the men holding him and dropped Ginryu, catching Fai before he could fall. He glanced behind him and saw that all of the fallen bodies had disappeared; along with the jar that one of the men had been holding. It was almost like nothing had happened, like he had imagined it all. But he knew he hadn't—the blood on the grass was evidence enough.

He turned back to Fai and tilted the blonde's head back, his eyes widening when he saw blood dripping down Fai's cheek from his left eye like a waterfall. His brows were pushed together in pain and short breaths escaped his lips, along with occasional whimpers of pain.

"No… No, Fai!" Kurogane yelled. "Fai! Fai, stay with me!" He looked around, but the courtyard was empty. "Somebody help him!" He felt tears sting at his eyes and he looked back down at Fai. "Fai, don't die, damn it. Don't die… If you die…"

Kurogane felt a small hand on his shoulder and looked up, finding a young girl with long, black hair and violet eyes looking down at him. Immediately she reminded Kurogane of his mother, and for some reason he felt a bit of comfort.

"Do not worry," She said in a soft voice. "Fai will not die."

"Who…?" Kurogane asked, trailing off when she knelt in front of him.

"I promise you," She said softly. "Fai will not die."

* * *

Fai groaned a bit as he opened his right eye, the sight he was used to seeing from his left eye giving him only darkness. He reached his fingers up to his left eye, feeling a soft cloth instead of his skin.

"You're awake."

Fai looked to his right and saw a familiar girl sitting beside him. "You're… Princess Tomoyo." He said quietly, recognizing her from the dream she had previously visited him in. She smiled and nodded, and he blinked. "But… Why are you here?"

"I had a dream," Tomoyo said in her soft voice. "I dreamt that something awful would happen in Suwa. I arrived as quickly as I could with the best doctors in Nihon, as well as my knowledge of healing spells, and found that Kurogane had stopped the tragedy."

"He did?" Fai asked.

Tomoyo nodded. "I dreamt that you died a painful death," She said quietly. "That Kurogane arrived too late, right as you were dying. But Kurogane was able to realize his mistake quicker than in my dream, and arrived before you could be killed."

"That man in my dreams said that he wanted my magic," Fai said quietly as he touched the patch covering his eye. "He wanted it all, and he knew that my eyes were the source of my magic. But Kurogane arrived and stopped those men, didn't he?"

Tomoyo nodded. "And I will have only the best barriers set up around Nihon to prevent travelers from other worlds from arriving like that. I am so very sorry that this had to happen to you, Fai."

Fai shook his head. "Princess, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even be alive right now. Thank you for all that you've done."

Tomoyo smiled and looked up when the door slid open. She stood up and bowed to Fai. "I'll leave you to rest."

Fai watched her leave and looked up at Kurogane, who closed the door behind her. He sat down beside Fai and looked at him. "Are you alright?" Kurogane asked in a tight, quiet voice.

Fai nodded. "I'm… Not in pain. Just… Exhausted."

Kurogane nodded. "There are priestesses here to strengthen the barriers while you rest. And I'll make sure that nothing like this happens again. I…" His voice cracked and he looked down. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

Fai smiled a bit and sat up slowly, reaching out to cover Kurogane's hand with his own. "Don't be sorry. You did protect me. If you hadn't have arrived, I would be dead."

Fai saw Kurogane clench his jaw, and then Fai was pressed up against Kurogane's chest. "Don't you dare scare me like that again," Kurogane whispered. "You promised me you wouldn't die for a long time and I expect you to keep that promise."

Fai smiled and wrapped his arms around Kurogane. "I'm still alive, aren't I?"

Kurogane scoffed, but didn't let go of Fai. The two stayed like that until Fai eventually fell asleep in Kurogane's embrace.

* * *

"Kuro-worry, please, I'm not completely helpless," Fai said as he snatched the bowl of soup out of Kurogane's hands.

It had been a week since Fai lost his left eye, and since then, he had had no dreams involving Ashura, and no one tried to come and take his right eye as well. Tomoyo had returned to the capital, but a priestess had stayed behind to perform Fai's duties while he rested.

Kurogane, however, stayed by Fai's side the entire time, insisting on doing everything for him—even feeding him.

Kurogane scowled and crossed his arms. "You're still recovering."

"That doesn't mean I can't feed myself," Fai said as he held the bowl with his left hand and tried to lift the spoon with his right, the one that had been pierced with an arrow.

Kurogane sighed when he saw the spoon shaking in Fai's injured hand and took it and the bowl from him. "I'll let you feed yourself when you can hold things properly," He said as he held the spoon to Fai's lips. "Now eat."

Fai pouted but let Kurogane feed him, only able to finish half of the bowl. Kurogane sighed and put the bowl to the side; since Fai had almost died, his appetite was almost non-existent, and it was showing on his already skinny body.

"Thank you," Fai said quietly. "For helping me so much."

"No need to thank me," Kurogane said as he crossed his arms. "I'll always be here to protect you and take care of you, okay? I…"

Fai blinked and looked up at him. "You…?"

Kurogane clamped his lips shut and stood up with the bowl in his hand. "Go to sleep. You need all the rest you can get."

Fai nodded and lied down, sighing lightly as he closed his eye. Kurogane waited until his breathing became even before leaving.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: almost forgot to update! Summer is starting, I think the heat is making me lazy haha.**

**In this chapter, alcohol pushes Fai and Kurogane into territory they might not be ready for. Follow, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

Kurogane leaned against the door of the shrine, watching as Fai pressed his hands together and prayed. The magic Fai emitted was still strong, but Kurogane could tell that it was nowhere near as strong as it had been before his eye had been gouged out.

He sighed silently and looked at Fai's back, taking in the layers of robes and the ribbon Fai had used to tie back his hair, which was now barely past his shoulders. Kurogane smiled a bit. Fai's wild, naturally wavy hair couldn't be controlled by the ribbon; the layers that were too short to be tied back curled at the ends and even the longer hair that was tied back and condensed together did the same. It amused Kurogane that girls now envied Fai's hair, which they used to make fun of.

Fai eventually finished and stood up, stretching a bit as he turned around. Kurogane saw a dark blue patch, which matched the color of his top robe, covering his eye. Tomoyo had sent Fai more robes and kimonos (and furisodes, much to Kurogane's regret), along with an array of patches he could use to cover his eye. They came in every different color to match any piece of clothing that Fai might have, and Tomoyo even sent matching hair ribbons, attaching a note saying that she had noticed that Fai's hair had seemed so long when she left.

Fai smiled when he saw Kurogane and brushed some hair out of his eye with his scarred right hand. "Oh, Kuro-tan. Were you waiting long?"

Kurogane shook his head. "No, not long. Come on, dinner is ready."

"Is there sake?" Fai asked excitedly as he fell into step beside Kurogane.

"You should really work on your drinking problem," Kurogane said as he opened the door to the dining room and led Fai inside. He closed the door behind him to keep the cold wind out.

Fai just smiled and sat down in front of the table. "You're the one that introduced me to drinking."

"And I regret it everyday," Kurogane mumbled as he sat across from Fai.

Fai immediately reached for the bottle of sake and poured himself and Kurogane a glass. "Say, Kuro-sama. Have you ever gotten so drunk that you forget everything that you did while you were drunk?"

"Of course not," Kurogane scoffed. "I'm not an idiot."

"Hmm," Fai hummed as he sipped at his sake. "Well, I want to try getting that drunk. And I bet I can drink way more than you and still not be as drunk as you'll be."

Kurogane felt his right eye twitch. "What the hell… Are you trying to challenge me?"

Fai smiled and polished off his glass. "Not at all, Kuro-loser."

Two and a half bottles later, Kurogane could feel the liquor getting to him. His movements felt slow and clumsy, and he knew Fai was wasted because of the way he would randomly begin making animal noises.

Fai finished another glass of sake, his face red from the liquor, and then began to crawl towards Kurogane. "Hey, Kuro-samaaa~"

"What?" Kurogane asked, hoping his words weren't slurred too much.

"If I were a girl, would you marry me?" Fai asked as he crawled into Kurogane's lap, turning to face the tan male and straddling him.

Kurogane narrowed his eyes. "What kinda dumb question is that?"

Fai laughed lightly and leaned his head onto Kurogane's shoulder. "I would wanna marry you, Kuro-tan. I wanna marry you right now!"

Kurogane felt his face heat up. "Idiot… Don't say dumb things."

"It's not dumb!" Fai cried, lifting his head to look at Kurogane. "I mean it!"

"You're wasted," Kurogane said quietly. "You don't know what—"

Kurogane's words were cut off by Fai's lips pressing against his own. Kurogane placed his hands onto Fai's hips, not knowing where else to put them, and stared at Fai's closed eyes. He breathed in through his nose, feeling Fai's soft lips moving against his chapped ones, and then let his eyes slip closed.

Kurogane gripped Fai's waist when Fai pushed him back, and Kurogane landed on his back with Fai hovering over him, their lips never leaving each other. Fai's throat let out soft sounds, which were all swallowed by Kurogane, who groaned in return.

Fai's lips tasted strongly of sake and the kiss was sloppy because of how drunk they both were, but Kurogane had never felt something so… amazing. How long had he been pining for Fai, trying to deny his feelings because of how strange it all felt? How long had he been waiting for this to happen?

But he knew he had to stop it because Fai was drunk, and even if he was telling the truth, he knew he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he let himself take advantage of Fai.

Gently, he pushed Fai away and watched as Fai's eye fluttered open. "Kuro… What is it?"

"We should stop," Kurogane whispered. "We're both drunk."

Fai just blinked slowly, and then lowered his head. Kurogane watched as Fai settled on top of him like a cat, his blonde head resting on Kurogane's chest. "Then… Can I stay like this?"

Kurogane nodded and let himself have the luxury of running his fingers through Fai's hair. "Yeah…"

There was no way he'd be forgetting this in the morning.

* * *

Kurogane opened his eyes and looked around, surprised to see himself in the dining room. Had he fallen asleep in there? He groaned, remembering how much Fai had gotten him to drink, the things Fai had said, the kiss…

He looked to his side and saw Fai lying next to him, drooling onto the floor. "Hey idiot, it's time to get up," Kurogane said as he shook Fai gently.

Fai groaned and rolled onto his back. He blinked his eye before shutting it again. "Too bright," He whined as he reached up to rub his head. "I feel like I'm going to be sick…"

Kurogane rolled his eyes. Of course Fai would have a hangover. He rubbed his head, feeling his own headache coming on. "If you are, go outside. We don't want to make the servants clean up your mess."

Fai pouted and forced his eye open. "You're mean, Kuro-tan." He said as he sat up and looked around. "Why are we in the dining room?"

Kurogane narrowed his eyes a bit. "Do you not remember what happened last night?"

Fai looked down, and Kurogane saw a distant look in his lone eye, as if he were thinking too much. A moment later, Fai looked up, his eye closed as he smiled. "Nope! Well, I remember challenging you to a drinking contest, but that's it. I didn't do anything embarrassing, did I?"

Kurogane frowned. "That's all you remember?"

Fai hesitated for just a second. "Yep, that's all! Why are you asking?"

Kurogane shook his head and stood up. "No reason. Go wash up and make yourself some tea. You still have some duties to perform. I'm going to go to the barriers to make sure no demons have gotten through."

Fai nodded and stood up as well. "Alright. Be safe, Kuro-tan!"

Kurogane nodded and left without saying another word. Although he knew it would make things easier if Fai had really forgotten about the kiss, he knew that the blonde was lying.

* * *

Kurogane knocked on Fai's door later that night. He was sure Fai remembered something, and he was going to find out exactly what.

He heard Fai call for him to come in and opened the door, finding Fai sitting in front of his mirror, releasing the ribbon from his hair and letting it fall over his shoulders. Kurogane watched, always in awe over Fai's hair. No matter what, Fai's hair always looked shiny and smooth, as if he had just washed it, and Kurogane's fingers always itched to run through the strands, to feel how soft they really were.

Kurogane stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He walked over to Fai and stood next to him, opening his mouth to say something, but stopping as he watched Fai untie the pale pink patch that covered his eye.

He folded it carefully and put it in a small box where he kept the rest of his patches. Fai picked up his brush and began running it through his hair, his left eye remaining closed.

"It doesn't even look like it's missing, huh?" Fai asked quietly as he put the brush down and gently touched his left eyelid. Kurogane sat down next to Fai, urging him to continue. "Sometimes I think that I'll just open my eyes and it'll be there, but… When I do, all I get is an ugly hole." He smiled a bit. "Don't worry, Kuro-rin. I'll make sure you don't have to see it."

Fai picked up the simple, black cotton patch that he wore when sleeping and tied it behind his head, covering his eye again. "It's not like you look bad without it," Kurogane said quietly. "If anything, it makes you look more mature. And I heard some kids saying that they thought you looked really cool with your darker patches."

Fai smiled a bit and touched the edge of the patch. "They think so, huh?"

Kurogane nodded. "Just try to find something positive from it, alright?" He said. "It doesn't change who you are."

Fai smiled and leaned against Kurogane. "Kuro-sama is so sweet."

Kurogane looked at Fai and frowned. "You remember what happened last night, don't you? You're just pretending that you don't."

Fai stiffened a bit and then laughed, moving away from Kurogane. "Ah, you caught me," He said quietly. "I wanted to forget about it. It was such an embarrassing thing to do, I thought that maybe if I pretended that I didn't remember it, then you would eventually forget about it too."

"As if I could forget about something like that," Kurogane said quietly.

Fai looked up at him, opening his mouth to say something, but stopped when Kurogane covered his lips with his own. It was a short kiss, nothing too incredibly special, but it still made Fai's cheeks grow pink.

Kurogane pulled away and Fai looked down. "Why did you do that?" He asked quietly.

"Because I wanted to," Kurogane said before standing up. "Get some sleep… You idiot."

Kurogane let out a long breath when he closed the door to Fai's bedroom behind him. He was very, very close to falling in love. Or maybe he was very close to admitting it.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: In this chapter, Fai puts his past to rest with the help of Kurogane, and the two only grow closer.**

**READ ME!**

**Also, I got a review asking what age the two of them are (they also said that they don't read the AN unless it says READ ME so I hope you all read this!). Sorry! I was rereading all the chapters and I realized that I only put their ages in a few times throughout the story, so I'll clarify. Around this time, I think the two are around 20-21 years old. In a couple of chapters, one of them remarks that they're 22, so I'll say that they're both 21 in this chapter (I feel like I'm talking about someone else's story and not my own haha). Anyway, just wanted to clear that up. Review, follow, and enjoy!**

* * *

"What's up with you?" Kurogane asked when he saw Fai sitting on the roka, staring straight ahead of him with a glass of tea in his hand. He was in his robes, which meant he had just come from the shrine.

"Just thinking," Fai said as he sipped the tea, not saying anything when Kurogane sat down next to him. "What do you think my twin was like?"

Kurogane saw Fai looking at him expectedly and cleared his throat. "He'd probably be way more quiet, that's for sure."

Fai smiled a bit. "Kuro-mean, that hurts."

Kurogane looked down at Fai's hands, which were wrapped around the teacup. He hated seeing the scar on Fai's hand, but a scar was better than death. "But he'd probably be a lot like you. Just a bit more polite."

"Are you saying I'm rude?" Fai asked.

"I didn't say anything," Kurogane mumbled, crossing his arms and looking away.

Fai laughed quietly and shook his head. "I wonder… If Ashura removed my twin's memories as well. Or if he had to grow up remembering me."

"Don't think too much about it," Kurogane said quietly. "That's what that Ashura guy wanted. He wanted to get into your head and make you think too much."

Fai nodded and leaned against Kurogane. "You're right. I'll try not to."

* * *

Fai opened his eye when he heard the door to the shrine open. A demon had gotten through the barrier in the middle of the night, so he went to the shrine half-asleep to strengthen the barriers while Kurogane went off to fight the demon.

"Who's there?" He asked quietly, not looking behind him. He couldn't recognize the presence, but he felt something evil coming from it.

"My, what strong magic."

Fai gasped and turned around, standing up when he saw Ashura standing in the doorway. "H-How did you get here?!" He swallowed and closed his lips; he was speaking that strange language again—the one from his dreams.

"A few simple barriers cannot stop me," Ashura said. "Maybe an army of men, but not myself. I was hoping to keep my hands from getting dirty, but I suppose there's no other choice but to do it myself."

Fai took a deep breath. "What do you want with me?"

"Just your magic," Ashura said. "Once I have the rest of your magic, I will be unstoppable." He smiled a cold smile. "Have you been wondering about me? And about your brother as well? I could tell you everything."

Fai's eye widened and suddenly he wasn't in the shrine anymore, but in a snowy place. Memories that he had been forced to forget suddenly played in his mind, showing his brother, Ashura, a place nothing like Nihon. He saw his brother smiling at him as Ashura stroked their hair and told them stories and treated them as kindly as Kurogane's mother had treated him.

But then he saw the people trying to break down the doors to the place they lived, trying to get to the twins that had caused famine and disease. Had he and his brother really caused so much misfortune? Simply because they had been born?

And then Ashura was telling them that one of them had to leave, that where they would go would be a nice place. And Fai—no, Yui—said that he would go and then he was in Nihon, being looked down on by a young girl with violet eyes.

"You were kind," Fai whispered as he came back to the shrine. "But you became mad. You wanted more power, didn't you?"

"Yes, I wonder what the reason for that was," Ashura said as he stepped closer to Fai. "Perhaps the twins' misfortune did not leave the land. But I couldn't kill you; you two were like my sons. But now look at what has happened. It's time you paid the price."

"I didn't do anything!" Fai cried. "I paid the price when I left. You're just… Sick."

Ashura moved quicker than Fai could see, and then a cold hand was wrapped around Fai's neck and squeezing so hard that he couldn't breathe. "Perhaps I am," Ashura said quietly as Fai fell to his knees while clawing at the hand obstructing his breathing. "But that does not matter now. All that matters is that I will finally have your magic, and then you will die. I wonder how the guardian of this place will react when he finds you dead, lying in the shrine that you love so dearly."

"Fai!"

Ashura turned around and Fai blinked, seeing Kurogane standing in the doorway, his sword still in his hand. Kurogane couldn't understand a thing the two were saying to each other, but he knew that the man was the one from Fai's dreams, the one that was trying to kill him.

"Let him go," Kurogane hissed, grasping Ginryu in both hands.

Ashura simply laughed and lifted his hand, and then Kurogane felt a weight on his chest that sent him flying from the shrine. He groaned and sat up, fighting the urge to pass out and making out the form of Ashura, leaning over Fai and covering his right eye with his hand.

"No!" Kurogane yelled, jumping up and running into the shrine.

Ashura turned around and held his hand up again, and Kurogane pushed Ginryu through Ashura's chest as he felt a blinding pain in his stomach. He coughed, and blood fell from his lips as he looked down, finding a beam of red light piercing through him like a sword.

Ashura dropped Fai, who fell limply to the ground, and laughed a bit. He said something that Kurogane couldn't understand, and then stepped back, causing Kurogane's sword to leave his chest.

Kurogane gasped and fell forward as the red light disappeared from his stomach, grasping the wound and watching as Ashura fell back, a small smile on his face. Kurogane heard Fai groan and look up, blood dripping from his lips.

"K-Kuro?" He whispered as he sat up, looking around. His eye stopped on Ashura, and an aching filled his chest as tears filled in his eye.

"Oh, Yui…" Ashura whispered. "Do you cry for me?" Ashura asked quietly, and Fai clenched his fists, letting the tears fall. "Do not cry for a monster like myself." He smiled softly. "I wish I could have raised you… Raised you without turning into this… Perhaps I'll get to… In another world…"

Fai swallowed. "Please tell Fai… That I miss him."

Ashura simply closed his eyes, and Fai watched as his chest stopped moving. Fai looked to his left, his eye widening when he saw Kurogane kneeling on the ground, holding his bleeding stomach.

"Kuro-sama!" Fai yelled as black began to invade Kurogane's vision. "Someone help!"

Kurogane tried to keep consciousness, but eventually the blackness won and he fell forward into Fai's arms.

* * *

Kurogane opened his eyes and blinked slowly. He tried to sit up, but a pain in his stomach stopped him.

"Don't try to move too much," Fai whispered, placing his hand onto Kurogane's.

Kurogane looked at him. "Are you alright?" He asked as he settled back onto the pillow.

Fai smiled a bit. "I'm perfect, compared to you."

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "It's just a stab wound. I'll be fine in a few days."

Fai laughed and shook his head. He squeezed Kurogane's hand and looked down at his lap, his smile still on his lips. "He showed me all of my memories before Nihon," He whispered. "Of my brother, and of him, of the first six years of my life. He took care of me like a father, and my brother… He…"

Kurogane swallowed, watching as Fai closed his eye and lowered his head. "It's okay," Kurogane whispered. "To cry, once in a while."

Fai let out a small laugh, and Kurogane watched as tears dripped onto his hands. "Wasn't I the one to tell you that? Years ago?" Fai asked quietly.

Kurogane nodded. "Yeah, and you're right. So… Cry. It's even okay to cry for that man."

Fai wiped his eyes and let out a shuddering breath. "I cry for who he was, and for what he became. I wonder… I wonder if he wanted to stop himself, to not kill my brother. I wonder if he knew what he was doing was wrong, but couldn't stop himself once he had lost his mind."

Kurogane reached up and wiped a tear from Fai's cheek. "I'm sure he went to wherever souls go when they die and apologized to your brother."

Fai looked down at Kurogane and smiled a bit. "And maybe they even met your parents, and now they're all looking down on us, wondering why we're such idiots."

Kurogane scoffed. "Who's the idiot here?"

Fai smiled and brought Kurogane's hand up, kissing it softly. "Who's the one that got stabbed?"

Kurogane didn't say anything—Fai was right, after all.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Kuro and Fai just keep on getting closer and closer, but we're all wondering when they'll just confess already**

* * *

"Will you get off of my back?"

"You're still recovering, Kuro-tan. I need to make sure nothing happens. Besides, you were way worse than this when I was recovering."

"You lost your damn eye, it's a little different."

"I don't need an eye to walk. Look at you, you can barely even stand!"

"Oh, shut up, you damn idiot."

Kurogane leaned against the wall and glared at Fai, who was hovering next to him to make sure he didn't fall. He flicked Fai's forehead, making the blonde whine and step back.

"Stop frowning like that, you'll get wrinkles," Kurogane said as he walked slowly outside, where he carefully sat down on the roka (with Fai's help, of course).

Fai sat down next to him, smiling a bit. "And what if I do?" He gasped overdramatically. "Then Kuro-sama will leave me for someone younger! Oh, what will I do?!" He reached out, stopping a servant walking by. "Buy me the best youth cream, right away! Before Kuro-sama leaves me!"

The girl looked confused and even a little frightened, but nodded and hurried away, not wanting to be caught in the middle of Fai's jokes. "Shut up, you're scaring everyone around," Kurogane said as he crossed his arms.

Fai smiled and leaned back on his hands. "I'll stop if you promise that you'll never leave me!"

"Who exactly would I leave you for, you idiot?" Kurogane mumbled.

Fai's smile grew into a grin. "Kuro-sama, you're so sweet!"

Kurogane just looked away, grumbling to himself as Fai harassed another servant over how sweet Kurogane was.

He most definitely was not in love with an idiot like Fai.

* * *

"I don't understand why you can't just send some of your men out to fight the demons!" Fai argued as he followed Kurogane through the estate.

"Because, I'm the best when it comes to killing them, and I haven't fought in weeks," Kurogane said as he walked towards the exits.

Fai stepped in front of Kurogane, stopping him. "You're still injured! You can try and pretend like you're fine, but I see the way you wince when you move too much! How do you expect to go out and fight?"

Kurogane sighed and put his hand onto Fai's shoulder. "I'm going to get a lot more injuries than this in the future," He said quietly. "I can't stop everything simply because I'm injured, and you can't either."

Fai frowned, the concern practically written on his face. "But—"

"I'll be fine," Kurogane said. "Just go strengthen the barriers, and I'll be back before you know it. Then we can drink some sake or something."

Fai sighed and stepped out of the way. "If you come back bleeding I'm going to punch you."

Kurogane grinned. "Alright, I'll hold you to that."

* * *

Kurogane sipped at his sake with a scowl and a throbbing head. He had ended up getting a scratch on his arm, and while he tried to hide it, Fai noticed almost immediately. Once he was patched up, Fai hit him over the head and then dragged him to the dining room to eat dinner and drink sake.

"You're so careless," Fai mumbled, his pale cheeks already turning red from the liquor.

Kurogane rolled his eyes and finished his glass. "I'm fine, aren't I? Still in one piece and not dead."

"Barely," Fai said quietly. He lowered his glass and sighed. "I'm just scared, okay? Scared that one day, one of your men is going to come back holding Ginryu and you won't be there, just like your father."

"I'm not my father," Kurogane said quietly. "I'm not some old man that doesn't know my limits. I'm barely 22, Fai. I won't be dying for a long time, and neither will you, okay? We have our whole lives ahead of us."

Fai was silent for a few minutes, just staring at the table in front of him and leaning back on one of his hands. "Remember when you used to bully me?"

Kurogane scoffed. "Of course."

Fai looked up at him. "Do you regret it?"

Kurogane looked away. "Well, yeah. I was a jerk for no reason."

Fai smiled a bit and looked down at his arm. The scar from where Kurogane had cut him was almost completely faded. "Yeah, you were." He laughed at Kurogane's glare and took another sip of sake. "But you're not anymore. You're just grumpy now. Like an old dog."

Kurogane slammed his glass onto the table. "What the hell did you just say?!"

Fai tilted his head back and laughed. "But then sometimes you act like an angry puppy!" He wiped the tears from his eyes as his laughter died down and looked at Kurogane. "What does that make me then, a cat?"

Kurogane glared at him. "You're a human, not a damn cat. And I'm not a dog, you hear me?"

Fai smiled and tilted his head down, looking at Kurogane flirtatiously. "My, my, Big Doggy, you shouldn't be so mean to a little ol' kitty like me."

"You idiot!" Kurogane yelled, jumping to his feet. "I can kill you, you know!"

Fai laughed again and Kurogane sat back down, pouring himself another glass of sake. "Say, Kuro-pup," Fai said, ignoring Kurogane's glare. "You still sleep in your old bedroom, right?"

"Yeah," Kurogane said. "Why?"

Fai shrugged. "I was just wondering. Why don't you move into the master bedroom? You are the Lord of Suwa now, you shouldn't be sleeping in the small bedroom you've had since you were a kid."

Kurogane looked down at his glass. "The new Lord doesn't typically move into that room until he's married."

Fai nodded. "Ahh, I see. I suppose that makes sense."

"What about you?" Kurogane asked, feeling nervous for some reason. "Are you ever going to take on a bride?"

Fai looked at him. "What, after we kissed? I wouldn't want to go and break Kuro-sama's heart." He smiled and tilted his head back, looking up at the ceiling. "To be honest, I've always wanted to be a bride. When we were children, your mother showed me the furisode she wore when she was married to your father. Ever since then, I've dreamed of wearing some beautiful furisode and becoming a bride."

"You do know you're a guy, right?" Kurogane deadpanned.

Fai laughed. "So? You're enough of a man for the both of us. Let me have a little bit of fun."

Kurogane frowned. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

Fai just smiled and finished his glass, setting it softly down onto the table. "Hey, you know the story of the Phoenix and the Dragon, right?"

Kurogane raised a brow. "Of course. Everyone in Nihon knows that story."

Fai nodded and lifted both of his palms up. "The Phoenix and the Dragon, two beings completely opposite from each other in every way. Yet, when they come together, they balance each other out and create a perfect unity." He brought his hands together and entwined his own fingers as if he were saying a deep prayer. He looked up at Kurogane and smiled. "Sounds a lot like us, doesn't it?"

Kurogane frowned and sipped at his sake as a distraction. "I guess…"

Fai smiled and looked down at his hands, which were still clasped together. "The Phoenix and the Dragon symbolize a perfect unity, a harmonious joining of souls. Sounds very romantic to me."

Kurogane scoffed. "You sound like a woman."

Fai smiled and sat on his knees, lifting himself a bit to lean over the table towards Kurogane. "You see? That's how we're so opposite!"

"What, because you sound like a woman?" Kurogane asked.

Fai laughed and shook his head. "Because you don't sound like a woman! Kuro-tan is very masculine and prideful, don't you think?"

"What does that make you then?" Kurogane asked.

Fai smiled and batted his eyelashes. "Why, it makes me feminine, beautiful, and graceful, of course."

Kurogane scoffed again and Fai laughed, sitting back and picking at some left over rice. Kurogane glanced at him. "So, does that make us romantic?"

Fai looked up at Kurogane, smiling softly. "I suppose it does," He said quietly. "What do you think?"

Kurogane swallowed and cleared his throat. "I think you've had too much to drink. You should go to bed."

Fai didn't say anything for a few moments. He just looked at Kurogane with the same soft, almost knowing smile before eventually standing up and smoothing down his kimono. "As you command, Kuro-lord," He said as he walked towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Kurogane sighed as Fai left and tried not to admit that he had wished that Fai would have stayed.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: I don't really have anything to say. It's the middle of summer before I go off to college and all I've done is sleep and read fanfiction while on tumblr. i'm going to succeed so well in college haha**

**So about the chapter. Kurogane has a dream that makes him admit what he's been holding back. review, follow, and enjoy!**

* * *

Kurogane looked around, finding himself outside of the Suwa estate. He blinked, seeing Fai in front of him, holding onto the arm of a faceless man.

"Fai? What the hell are you doing?" Kurogane asked.

Fai turned to him and smiled. "Sorry, Kurogane. You waited too long and this man came by and asked me to be his bride. How could I pass it up?"

Kurogane's mouth fell open in shock. "B-But… But you said—"

"What I said doesn't matter," Fai said. "Goodbye, Kurogane. I hope you find a beautiful bride someday!"

Kurogane shook his head and closed his eyes, and when he opened them he found himself in his room. He sat up and looked around. Nothing seemed out of place; so it was just a dream? He threw off his covers, not caring about changing out of the light kimono he had slept in, and left his room.

He walked down the hall and turned the corner and slammed the door to Fai's room open. Fai, who was sitting in front of his mirror, jumped and looked up in surprise. He was in the middle of tying the eye patch he had matched to his robes behind his head, his hair still down and waiting to be tied back by a matching ribbon.

"Kuro-sama?" Fai asked as he lowered his hands once he got the knot right. "What are you doing here?"

Kurogane walked over to him and knelt down. "What ribbon are you going to use?"

Fai blinked and looked around, lifting up a red ribbon. Kurogane instructed him to turn around and ran his fingers through Fai's hair, which was just as soft and silky as always. He gathered his hair, which was growing and now ended just below his shoulder blades, and tied the ribbon around it, trying to make it look nice.

"What's up with you, Kuro-weird?" Fai asked.

Kurogane let his fingers linger in Fai's hair. "You're going to stay here, aren't you?"

Fai turned around to look at Kurogane. "What do you mean?"

"If someone came by and asked you to be their bride, you wouldn't say yes, would you?" Kurogane asked.

Fai's single eye widened. "What? Why on earth would I do that?"

Kurogane shrugged. "Maybe… If they had a lot of money to offer you, or something."

Fai pushed his brows together. "I know I always joke about it, but I'm not trying to become a trophy wife, Kuro-tan. There's nothing that would make me go with anyone."

"Even if…" Kurogane trailed off and cleared his throat, looking away. "Even if you got impatient? With me, I mean."

Fai blinked and then smiled in understanding. "I'll let you know if I'm getting impatient, okay? I mean, Kuro-puu, you haven't even confessed to me, you've only kissed me. I wouldn't expect you to propose to me anytime soon, so there's nothing for me to wait for. And even if there was… Don't worry. I'd wait forever."

Kurogane looked at him. "You would?"

Fai nodded. "But only for you, Kuro-tan." He stood up and ran his hands down the front of his robes, smoothing them out. "Now then, Kuro-tan, I have to go to the shrine. I'll see you later."

Kurogane stood up and grabbed Fai's wrist as he walked by, stopping him. Fai turned to look at him, his eye widening when Kurogane pressed their lips together. Kurogane pulled away and looked at Fai. "I love you."

Fai's jaw dropped and his face quickly turned red. "Wh-What? Kuro-tan, wh-where did that come from?"

Kurogane let go of Fai's wrist. "You said that I never confessed to you, but that you had nothing to wait for. Obviously you were waiting for me to confess to you, so I decided to keep you from waiting any longer."

Fai smiled a bit and pressed a hand to his face in an attempt to cool it down. "How thoughtful… But now I'll be waiting for that proposal, Kuro-puu."

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just go to the shrine."

Fai nodded and kissed Kurogane's cheek. "Love you too, Kuro-sama."

* * *

Kurogane had just finished training his men when he turned around and saw Fai storming over to him. "What are you doing here?" Kurogane asked. "And in your robes? You'll get them dirty."

Fai crossed his arms. "I decided that that confession earlier was not special at all."

Kurogane stared at Fai blankly. "What?"

"It wasn't special!" Fai cried. "Me just saying, "love you too" like we've been married for years isn't special at all!"

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "You're the one that said it."

Fai frowned and poked Kurogane's chest. "You're the one that confessed suddenly. What else could I say?"

"You didn't have to say anything," Kurogane said, his voice rising.

"Yes I did! You confessed, I had to confess back!" Fai yelled.

"Whoa, Lord Suwa finally confessed to Fai?"

The two looked to the side, finding two men that had been training standing there and staring at them. Kurogane felt his fists begin to shake in anger.

"You two better get out of here before I cut you into pieces," Kurogane said lowly as he reached for Ginryu.

The two men immediately ran off, and Fai laughed. "Is that how you get them to listen to you?"

"Yes," Kurogane said as he crossed his arms. "You're the only person that doesn't respond to me like they do, you know."

Fai smiled. "Well of course. You should know that I don't like being controlled."

"I think all of Suwa knows that," Kurogane mumbled. "You're nothing like how you were as a child."

Fai winked. "Or am I? You didn't know me very well back then."

Kurogane thought for a moment. Thinking back on it, Fai began acting the way he does after Kurogane stopped bullying him and the two became friends. He shook his head. "Whatever. Get out of here before you ruin your robes."

* * *

Fai blinked when Kurogane suddenly appeared above him. He had been lying out on the roka in a thin kimono, hoping to cool down a bit. Now that the sun was gone, the air outside wasn't so unbearably hot.

"Hey, Kuro-tan," Fai said as he sat up.

Kurogane sat down next to him. "I'm not gonna take back what I said earlier and I'm not gonna change it either." He looked at Fai. "All that matters is that I said it, right?"

Fai blinked and then smiled, leaning against Kurogane. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. But let me get another chance at it, okay?"

Kurogane blinked when he felt Fai's hands on his face and looked into Fai's single blue eye, waiting.

Fai smiled a bit and kissed Kurogane softly. "I love you, Kuro-sama," He mumbled against Kurogane's lips. Kurogane growled and pulled Fai into his lap, kissing him a bit deeper. Fai chuckled and pulled away, tapping his finger onto Kurogane's bottom lip. "You are just like an excited dog."

Kurogane rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall behind him, holding Fai. He was silent for a few moments. "So… If I asked you to be my bride, you would say yes?"

Fai smiled a bit. "That depends. Are you asking me to be your bride?"

Kurogane scoffed and looked away. "I was just wondering. No reason to jump to conclusions, idiot."

Fai laughed quietly. "Well, without jumping to conclusions, I would say yes. Just so you know."

Kurogane looked at Fai and opened his mouth, but closed it again. Fai looked at him expectedly, a small smile on his lips. Kurogane eventually looked away, trying to keep the heat from his face. "Whatever…"

Fai laughed and wrapped his arms around Kurogane's neck. "I'll take that as a proposal! Yes, Kuro-sama, yes! Of course I'll marry you!"

"Wh-What the hell?!" Kurogane cried. "I didn't ask!"

Fai grinned and kissed Kurogane's cheek. "I'll marry you anyway!"

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "Idiot," He mumbled, even as he tightened his arms around Fai's waist and pulled him closer.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Today is _the day! _:DDDDDDD**

**Wanna know what that means? read and find out! and while you're at it, follow, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

It took few months before all of the preparation was done for the marriage ceremony. Fai had sent a letter to Tomoyo, asking if she would perform the rituals since he figured that not many priestesses would be very willing to marrying two men. She wrote back immediately, saying that she would love to perform the rituals for them. However, she also wrote, it would take her a couple of months to get to Suwa because of her other responsibilities.

So, in the mean time, Fai began secretly moving his things into the master bedroom of the estate. The room was large and airy and even had a sliding door that led to a small, wooden deck that was shadowed by a cherry blossom tree and surrounded by a tall wall to give them their privacy. Fai loved everything about the room, and he couldn't wait until he could really call it his own.

"Oi! Mage, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Fai turned around—he had been just walking out of the shrine when he heard Kurogane's voice. He smiled. "What do you mean, Kuro-rin?"

"I mean, why did I see a servant carrying your mirror from your room and refusing to say anything to me when I asked him about it?" Kurogane asked.

Fai shrugged. "Maybe he's stealing it."

"I thought that, until I followed him and saw him put it into the master bedroom," Kurogane said. "Have you been moving your things in there?"

Fai smiled sheepishly. "Well, we're going to be moving in there eventually. I thought I'd get a head start."

Kurogane rolled his eyes and walked past Fai. "Idiot," He mumbled.

"Hey, where are you going?" Fai asked as he turned and followed Kurogane.

"To your room to get the rest of your things, and then to mine to get my things," Kurogane said. "We'll just move in tonight."

Fai smiled and fell into step beside Kurogane. "Hm, I don't think the gods will like an unmarried couple sleeping in the same bed," He said teasingly. "Especially an unmarried male couple."

"Screw the gods," Kurogane said as he opened the door to Fai's room and picked up the boxes holding Fai's ribbons and eye patches.

Servants showed up to help, but Fai refused to let any of them touch his kimonos and robes, opting to make multiple trips to transfer them. Once they were done with Fai's things, they began moving the minimal amount of things that Kurogane had, and for the rest of the night, Fai rearranged the room.

"Will you stop?" Kurogane called from the small wooden deck outside the door, watching Fai as he moved his mirror for the umpteenth time.

Fai leaned the mirror against the wall and arranged his boxes in front of it, standing up and looking at it. He looked at the futon and pulled it over just a bit before smiling and moving to stand next to Kurogane. "Perfect!" He said as he sat down and took the glass of sake from Kurogane's hand to drink it.

Kurogane rolled his eyes and looked at the room. "You said that two hours ago."

"But I was wrong," Fai said. "Now I know that it's perfect. It just feels right, doesn't it?"

Kurogane looked into the room again. It did feel very homey, like how it felt to walk into the estate after a particularly long mission hunting demons. "Whatever," He decided to mumble.

"You like it!" Fai cried. "I knew it! See? I have an eye for design!"

"Just 'cause you're so girly!" Kurogane yelled, snatching the glass from Fai's hand and downing the rest of the sake.

Fai just laughed and leaned against Kurogane. "But you love me anyway."

Kurogane rolled his eyes and looked away. "…Whatever."

* * *

Kurogane opened his eyes, groaning a bit from the sunlight falling over his face from the open door leading out to the deck. He took a deep breath, willing himself to wake up. At first, it felt like a normal day. He might go out and fight a demon, or maybe train the strong men of Suwa, and then—

Oh, right, he remembered. Today was _the day._

He sat up and opened his eyes, looking to the side and finding Fai kneeling in front of his mirror, brushing his hair out. Fai caught his eyes in the mirror and smiled. "I'm trying to figure out how to do my hair," He said as he put the brush down. "Maybe up? With a few flowers?"

Kurogane looked at Fai's hair, the ends of the many layers curling in and out and creating a wavy effect that no one else in Nihon had. Kurogane would never admit it, but he loved Fai's hair—he was almost obsessed with it. His idea of a perfect day would be to sit under a cherry blossom tree eating cold fish and drinking sake and running his fingers through Fai's hair. He especially loved the length Fai kept it at—half way down his back, and no longer; Fai refused to grow it out any longer than that.

"Keep it down," Kurogane said. "Well, most of it. Do whatever you want, but keep most of it down."

Fai blinked and smiled. "Alright."

Kurogane rubbed his eyes and looked in front of him, finding a black, silk kimono laid out on the floor in front of the futon. He reached out and picked it up, looking at the embroidered red dragon that was stitched into the side and curled around to the front.

He looked up when Fai stood up and walked to the small closet where they kept their clothes. He pulled a folded kimono from the top shelf and held it to his chest. "I'm going to go bathe and get ready," He said. "See you at the shrine."

With a smile, he was out the door.

* * *

Kurogane stood in front of the main shrine of Suwa, the temple where ceremonies for weddings and funerals were held. The doors were wide open and Tomoyo stood between them, incense lit behind her and filling the air with a soft, clean scent.

Kurogane cleared his throat and pulled on the ends of the sleeves of his kimono. The entire town had showed up—as they should, for the marriage of the lord of their province—and it made Kurogane nervous. He was a private person; he didn't want to have to declare his love in front of the entire population of Suwa.

However, when he saw Fai, being walked to the shrine by two female servants, the nervousness left and he only saw Fai. The servants helped him up the steps, making sure he wouldn't step on his kimono, and then scurried away so that the ceremony could start.

Tomoyo began the rituals, but Kurogane could barely hear her. Fai had kept his hair down, but used one of the clips Kurogane had bought for him long ago to keep the shorter layers out of his face, letting Kurogane see every angle and shadow. Fai's blue eye seemed brighter, bigger than usual, as well, framed by thick eyelashes, and his pink lips were pulled into a small smile. Kurogane wondered if he had used a berry's juice to make his lips look so deliciously pink.

Kurogane looked down at the kimono Fai was wearing—a furisode that was made of pure white silk. Kurogane saw blue stitching wrapping around Fai's waist, arms, and shoulders, reminding Kurogane of the way he used to cling to his father's back when he was a child, and Kurogane knew that Fai was wearing the furisode with the blue phoenix embroidered on the back.

Tomoyo began the cleansing rituals and Kurogane forced himself to pay attention, and then they were moving into the binding vows, promising his life forever to Fai. The ceremony went quickly, and Kurogane wished that he had more time to stare at Fai. But, he supposed, he'd have a whole lifetime to look at Fai.

The two walked down the steps as the people of the town threw cherry blossoms into the air and everyone was invited into the Suwa estate, where the feast was waiting.

Everyone went to the feast, bodies spilling out of rooms to stand on the roka and in the courtyard as children ran around and between their legs, waving around fake swords. Fai and Kurogane sat in the largest room at the middle of a long table as everyone came in to give their blessings.

The feast didn't end until well into the night, when the last partygoers stumbled out just a couple of hours before the sun began to rise. Fai let out an exasperated sigh and leaned against Kurogane.

"I'm tired," He whined, his cheeks tinged pink from the alcohol.

Kurogane helped him up and led him back to their new room. On the way, Fai ended up kissing Kurogane, walking backwards as Kurogane led him to their room. Kurogane opened the door and closed it behind them as they stumbled inside and fell onto the futon.

Fai looked up at Kurogane and blinked, reaching up to take the white clip from his hair. Kurogane immediately reached down and ran his fingers through the strands, bringing some up to his lips to kiss gently.

"You're the only one that's ever seen me with my hair down," Fai whispered.

"Good," Kurogane said, feeling possessive. "And it better stay that way."

Fai just smiled and brought Kurogane down for another kiss, and it didn't take long for their kimonos to open, for their skin to touch, for their bodies to become so tangled that they didn't know where one started and the other began.

That night, as the two lay together with the door open to let the warm summer air and the pale moonlight seep into the room, Kurogane decided that he loved Fai more than air he breathed.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: couldn't wait to update because yaaay! finally together and happily married :)))))) review, follow, and enjoy!**

* * *

Kurogane didn't wake up the next morning until the sun was high in the sky, and all of the servants (fortunately) knew not to try and wake him. He blinked slowly and looked down, finding Fai's head on his chest as he slept soundly. The blanket had been kicked off in the middle of the night, a habit Fai had during the hot, summer months. Of course, he usually did it clothed.

Kurogane carefully moved Fai off of him so that he could stand up and stretch. He looked down at Fai, taking in the blonde hair that flowed down his shoulders and pooled on the futon in messier-than-usual waves. Red marks littered Fai's body, and Kurogane was sure that he had a couple of those marks as well.

He decided to be nice and cover Fai's lower half with the blanket so that he wouldn't be embarrassed when he woke up and put on a light sleeping robe to go relieve himself.

When he returned, Fai was sitting up and scratching his head, looking around. Kurogane stifled a laugh—Fai's hair looked a lot messier now that he was sitting up. He looked up when Kurogane walked in and smiled lazily.

"I was worried you might have walked out on me," He said as he stretched his arms.

"And go where, exactly?" Kurogane asked as he sat on the futon.

Fai shrugged and lied back down on the pillows. "Can you get me some water?"

"What, do your legs not work?" Kurogane asked, crossing his arms.

Fai smiled. "They do, but it's very painful to walk after what you did to me last night. As much as I loved it, you really are like a rough puppy."

Kurogane growled and Fai laughed, loving the reaction. Kurogane shook his head and stood up, leaving the room and coming back a few minutes later with a pitcher of water and a glass.

He poured Fai a glass and handed it to him. Fai smiled and drank, sighing in satisfaction as he pulled the glass from his lips. "I hope the barriers will be okay," Fai said quietly. "I don't think I'll be able to get to the shrine today."

"Don't worry," Kurogane said, taking the glass from him. "Princess Tomoyo is still here. She can worry about it."

Fai smiled and pushed Kurogane onto the futon. "Good."

Kurogane looked up at Fai, whose head blocked the sunlight, causing his outline to glow like some sort of ethereal being. He swallowed; Fai's hair fell in front of his face and tickled Kurogane's cheeks, and his single eye was lidded and dark. It took a lot of control for Kurogane to not flip Fai over and ravish him mercilessly.

But the control didn't last long and after just a few moments, that's exactly what Kurogane did.

* * *

Tomoyo stayed for a few days, keeping the barriers strong while Fai… recovered. When she left, things returned to normal, with Fai sitting in the shrine and Kurogane training the men.

Not much was different, now that they were married. Fai was still the priest, Kurogane still the guardian. Yet, at the same time, it felt like everything was different. Fai felt more open to the relationship, often clinging to Kurogane's arm or stealing kisses from him while out in the open. The servants and townspeople began calling the blonde Lord Fai.

And then, there was the unexplainable, invisible shift in their relationship. The weight of their lives, now bound into one, destined to be together until they died—even after they died, as many believed. The soul wanders, and two souls will always be destined for each other. Their souls would always be together, always be connected, no matter what.

"How long do you think you'll be away?" Fai asked quietly as Kurogane fixed his armor and fastened his father's sword to his hip.

"Maybe four days," Kurogane said, looking at Fai. "The demons that were seen were large and very powerful, and not exactly close to each other. It'll take a bit of travelling to kill them all."

Fai nodded, looking down at his feet. "Just be sure to hurry back, alright?"

A calloused finger lifted Fai's chin, and red eyes looked down at him. "Don't worry about me," Kurogane said. "I'll be fine. Just strengthen the barriers so that no more of these demons get in."

Fai nodded and swallowed, and Kurogane mounted his horse to ride out of the town with the rest of the men he decided to bring along.

* * *

Fai sighed as he took a break from strengthening the barriers, which he had been doing with barely any breaks. He knew that the demons were strong, and he couldn't risk another one getting through. If it meant skipping meals and sleep to keep Suwa—and Kurogane—safe, then he'd skip all of them.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, bringing his hands together to continue the prayers. He felt tempted to simply fall asleep right there, and he knew that he easily could, but he stopped himself. He had to focus, had to strengthen the barriers so that Kurogane could—

The door slid open, breaking him from his concentration, and he turned around, his eyes widening when he saw Kurogane standing there, out of his armor and bandaged up.

"Sorry," Kurogane said. "The doctor refused to let me go before treating me."

Fai stood up and walked closer to Kurogane, looking up at him. A bandage covered his right eye, and Fai felt a streak of terror shoot through him. "Y-Your eye…" He whispered, reaching up to touch Kurogane's cheek with the tips of his fingers.

Kurogane reached up, gently grabbing Fai's wrist. "It's just a scratch," He said quietly. "The doctor said that I should be able to see just fine, but that I needed to cover it to keep it from getting infected."

Fai breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the other scratches on Kurogane's body. "And that's it? You didn't get stabbed again, did you?"

Kurogane scoffed. "Of course not." He looked down at Fai, taking in his pale, ashy skin and the way his eye looked sunken in, a dark shadow hanging under it. "But what about you? You look like you haven't slept for days."

Fai looked down. "I haven't, really. I was so worried… I wanted to strengthen the barriers as much as I could."

Kurogane groaned, resisting the urge to punch the mage in the face. "You idiot! I bet you haven't been eating, either! How do you think the barriers are going to get any stronger when you're barely alive?"

Fai swallowed, feeling like a child being scolded by their parent. "Sorry… I was just… I needed to know you were alright."

Kurogane sighed. "I'm alright. Now let's go to bed. We'll have a large breakfast in the morning."

Fai nodded and followed Kurogane to their room, where he fell asleep before his head was even on the pillow.

* * *

The scratch on Kurogane's eye scarred over, like the rest of the scratches and scrapes he got.

"I think it gives you character," Fai said as he examined the scar. "Like a real samurai warrior!"

Kurogane rolled his eyes and batted Fai's hand away. "It's just another scar. Just because you can see it doesn't make a difference."

He noticed Fai staring at his eye, but not in fascination. He often saw Fai staring like that, a longing, almost envious look as he stares into someone's eyes. But of course he would feel jealous of anyone with two eyes, and there Kurogane was, his eye scarred but still able to see just fine.

He saw the little things in Fai, the changes the loss of his eye made. Sometimes, Kurogane would point something out, but Fai couldn't see it. He'd have to point to it, get Fai to turn his entire head, and then he would see it—but by then he was reminded of his handicap and didn't care about what Kurogane pointed out anyway.

Another thing Kurogane noticed was that even Fai seemed to forget about it sometimes. Kurogane would walk into the room and Fai, so used to looking over his left shoulder, would do that, only to stop for a moment, and then turn around fully, like he forgot that his eye was missing until he realized that he couldn't see anything through it.

Kurogane touched the edge of the black patch covering Fai's eye. "…Besides, your scar gives you way more character."

Fai's right eye widened and blinked once. "Eh? How?"

Kurogane leaned back and crossed his arms. "Mine just makes me look careless, but yours…"

Fai looked down. "Mine… Is ugly. A painful reminder and a horrible curse."

Kurogane suddenly felt cold. Fai's voice sounded so detached, so distant, that it almost felt like Fai wasn't in front of him anymore. No, Fai wasn't anywhere near Kurogane—he was back to that day, remembering the way those men held him down and gouged his eye out.

Kurogane put his hand onto Fai's shoulder. "Yours is the mark of a true warrior. It's a reminder that you're strong, and no scar is ugly. Scars create who we are today, whether you can see them or not. Remember that, mage."

Fai looked up at him and blinked, tears gathering in his eye, and Kurogane wrapped his arms around him to let him cry.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: the two continue to be happily married, but problems occur when Kurogane realizes that he needs an heir. so how will he get it?**

* * *

Time passed by quickly for the priest and guardian.

Everyday was the same, the same duties to be performed, and the same meals eaten at the same times. Yet they were different, with different words being exchanged and small things, like a kiss in the courtyard or a night of passion.

It was easy to lose track of time, which was why Fai was surprised when he got a letter from Tomoyo, congratulating he and Kurogane for their marriage, which had already lasted five years.

"Has it really been five years?" Fai asked as he sat outside under the cherry blossom tree, which was in full bloom.

"What, have you forgotten?" Kurogane asked from his spot next to the blonde.

Fai smiled a bit. "Not forgotten… I just don't pay attention, I suppose."

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "Just like you. You're so airheaded, you know."

Fai stuck his tongue out and looked up at the sky, which was peeking through the cherry blossoms. "It's perfect, don't you think?" He asked, making Kurogane look at him. "To be able to be so content and happy that time doesn't even matter anymore."

Kurogane looked up as well, rolling Fai's words around in his mind. It was true, Kurogane didn't pay as much attention to time anymore, unless he had to go on a trip and needed to know how many days he was going to be gone. He only knew the month of the year from the way the weather changed, and only knew the time of day from where the sun sat.

Other than that, it was as if no time had passed at all. Fai looked the same as he looked when he was 18, his skin smooth and his smiles childish. At the same time, however, it felt as if a hundred years had passed, as if the two had spent their entire lives together.

But even if it felt that way, Kurogane wasn't at all tired of Fai. He would never be tired of Fai.

And so, time continued like that, the two growing older and not caring much for it. New servants and warriors came into the estate, new children were born, and it felt as if not a week had passed.

"Kuro-rin, what are you going to do about an heir?" Fai asked one day, fanning himself as he lounged in their bedroom. Fai was 28 and had lived in Suwa for 21 years, and yet he was never used to the heat that the August month brought. After finishing up his rituals in the shrine, he had gone back to their room and had stripped down to the thinnest, lightest, shortest kimono he could find, the front barely even closed.

"What do you mean?" Kurogane asked as he cleaned his blade.

"Well, you'll need someone to take over Suwa when we're gone, right?" Fai asked. "So, what do we do? It's not like I can give you a child."

Kurogane knew Fai was simply joking, but he could still hear the sadness hidden behind the words. "We can adopt," Kurogane decided.

"Don't you need to keep the bloodline going?" Fai asked, frowning.

"Well, how exactly would I do that?" Kurogane asked.

"Have a baby," Fai said. "With a woman."

Kurogane looked at Fai like he was crazy. "You're asking me to cheat on you?"

Fai sighed. "Not… Cheat, just… You need an heir, someone who has Suwa blood!"

"No, I don't!" Kurogane said, feeling angry at the thought of lying in bed with someone other than Fai. He wasn't even sure if someone other than Fai could arouse him. "Listen, of course they would prefer that the bloodline continues, but…"

He trailed off, thinking to his childhood, to the many comments given to him about how much he looked like his father. Now, as Lord of Suwa, when he travelled to the capital, he got an endless stream of people telling him how he looked just like his father.

Yes, it was true that he had wanted a son like that, someone who looked like him. But he wanted that son to look like Fai, as well. But that was impossible.

"I can see it in your eyes," Fai said softly. "You want your own son, someone made from your flesh and blood."

Kurogane swallowed and looked at Fai, and admitted what Fai said with a small nod.

* * *

The two found a young woman who had already given birth to two healthy children to carry the baby. They paid her a substantial amount, and allowed her and her family to live in the estate throughout the pregnancy so that they could monitor her.

It had been hard, Kurogane told Fai. He had to take the time to think of some dirty scenario involving Fai before he could even get aroused enough to have sex with the woman. Fai had laughed and patted Kurogane's back and told him that it was all right; he'd never have to have sex with anyone else ever again.

But of course, Fai was jealous. He often doted over the pregnant woman, who was only a month away from giving birth, getting her whatever she needed and often feeling her stomach. She was a nice woman with pretty features, so Fai knew that the child she bore would be just fine. But he couldn't help but wish that he could have been the one to have the child, for it to be his and Kurogane's, not Kurogane's and… some woman's.

But, there was nothing he could do but make sure the woman was comfortable and healthy. Kurogane did the same, but wasn't quite as hospitable as Fai. When he would visit the woman carrying his child, he always had Fai with him so that Fai could do the talking while he just stared at the round stomach the woman had.

Fai had figured out that Kurogane was scared, scared to have a child, scared for something to be wrong with the child, scared of being a bad parent. Fai assured him every night that it was impossible for Kurogane to be a bad parent, but the fears never subsided. What if his child didn't even like him? It made Kurogane's palms sweat just thinking about it.

Eventually the day came, two weeks earlier than expected. Kurogane had stood outside the room while the woman gave birth, but Fai had been there to hold her hand and give her support while her husband stood on the other side.

When it was all done, the doctor came to the woman holding a bundle of blankets, but she instead looked at Fai. "Let Lord Fai hold the baby," She said quietly.

"You do not wish to hold it?" Fai asked quietly.

"Once I hold it, I'll feel an attachment that I can't feel in this situation," She explained quietly. "And besides… I may have given birth to it, but I am not that child's mother."

She then smiled at Fai and closed her eyes, turning her face away while Fai took the bundle. He looked down, finding big, dark red eyes staring back up at him. They were a bit darker than Kurogane's, but red nonetheless—a true sign of the Suwa blood.

He smiled and asked the doctor to bring Kurogane in while he took in the baby's already tan (nowhere near as tan as Kurogane, of course) skin and short black hair. Kurogane stepped inside and stopped as soon as he saw Fai holding the child, staring.

"A boy or a girl?" He asked quietly.

"A healthy baby boy," The doctor said with a smile.

He continued staring at Fai, not moving until Fai looked up at smiled at him. "What are you waiting for? Come hold him."

Kurogane took a few heavy steps forward and took the baby from Fai, following the doctor's instructions to hold him right. He looked down and simply stared at the small, scrunched up face. The baby had fallen asleep, and Kurogane thought that he could stare at the scene for hours.

Eventually though, Kurogane had to give the baby back so that he could be checked for any problems, and the two went outside to sit on the roka. It was the middle of the night, and the moon was full and shining down on them.

"So?" Fai asked quietly. "What are you going to name him?"

Kurogane thought for a moment. "I was thinking Hiroto."

Fai blinked. "Hiroto…" He said quietly, testing the name on his tongue. "Command and soar…" He looked up at Kurogane. "I expected you to include a dragon in there."

Kurogane looked up at the sky. "A dragon commands, and a phoenix soars," Was all he said.

Fai stared at him, blinking slowly a few times as he thought back to the conversation he had had years ago, about the phoenix and the dragon. Had Kurogane really remembered it? Kurogane looked away when he saw the understanding on Fai's face, and Fai leaned against Kurogane's arm.

"Kuro-pon is much sweeter than people think he is," Fai whispered.

"Shut up… Idiot," Kurogane mumbled even as he wrapped his arm around Fai's shoulder.

* * *

A couple of weeks later, the woman and her family left the estate with more than enough money to be well off. She never asked to see the baby, and when Fai passed her on the street a few weeks later, she bowed and greeted him as if she were just another townsperson.

The baby, Hiroto, was in Fai and Kurogane's room by his second day. A small futon had been put into the room for him, however, he always ended up sleeping between the two, who loved being close to him at all times.

When Hiroto was a month old and sleeping in the middle of the futon, Fai stared down at him with a small smile on his face. It was something Fai did often, and sometimes Kurogane would wake up in the middle of the night to find Fai looking at both of them.

Kurogane looked at them as he changed into a sleeping robe. "You get creepy when you stare like that," He said quietly, not wanting to wake the baby.

Fai smiled. "He really looks like you. The Suwa features must run strong."

Kurogane walked over and sat on the other side of Hiroto. "Of course. But… He is a bit pale."

Fai grinned and covered his mouth to keep from laughing. "Only because he hasn't been out in the sun!" He said, forcing himself to be quiet. "He'll tan as soon as he takes a step outside, just you watch. I predict that he'll grow up to be a handsome young man, just like his father."

* * *

**EXTRA AN: In case anyone is like "heeey why didn't you use Syaoran as a kid?" well, first of all, Syaoran isn't Japanese (or at least I don't think he is) and idk I just wanted a new character not related to the story to be Kuro's kid, so sorry for no Syaoran!**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Not much to say for this chapter. Hiroto is growing up fast!**

* * *

"Fai! Fai!"

Fai turned around and smiled when he saw Hiroto toddling down the roka towards him. He knelt down and picked the three-year-old up, smiling at him. "Hey there, Hiro-chan!"

Hiroto smiled and wrapped his arms around Fai's neck for stability as Fai walked towards the master bedroom. "Fai, is father coming home today?"

Fai nodded. "He should be. Let's hope he keeps his promise, okay?"

Hiroto nodded, his smile wide. "Okay, Fai!"

Fai pouted as he slid the door to the bedroom open. "Why do you call me Fai? Why not papa or daddy or something?"

Hiroto tilted his head. "But… Fai is Fai!"

Fai sighed. Hiroto somehow knew that Fai wasn't related to him by blood, and refused to call Fai anything but his name. Fai had to admit, the kid was smart and logical. He couldn't call Fai his father because Kurogane was his father, and he couldn't call Fai his mother because he saw that mothers were always women, and Fai was not a woman. As much as it upset Fai, he couldn't deny Hiroto's intelligence.

"Fai, let's play!" Hiroto cried happily as Fai put him down. He ran over to his corner of their room, picking up the small, wooden sword that Kurogane had made for him. "You be the dragon!"

"Me?" Fai asked, laughing. "I'm never the dragon!"

Hiroto pouted. "But father isn't here. So you have to!"

"Well…" Fai said quietly, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He gasped when two arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him back.

"Sorry," A deep voice behind him said. "He can't play the dragon because I'm taking him."

"Father!" Hiroto cried happily, his big, red eyes growing even bigger.

"Hey, I'm abducting him," Kurogane said, and Fai could hear the smile on his lips. "Aren't you going to do something about it?"

Hiroto blinked, and then nodded, his lips turning down as he held the sword in front of him. He ran over to Kurogane and whacked his leg with his wooden sword. "Take that!" He cried.

Kurogane let go of Fai and pretended to fall over in pain. "Ah, you got me."

"Wow, Hiro-chan!" Fai said as he ruffled Hiroto's black hair. "You've slain the dragon again! You're so strong!"

Hiroto smiled and hugged Fai's leg, looking up at him. "I saved you!"

Fai laughed. "Yes, you did! And before he was able to ruin my robes too!"

Hiroto got the hint and let go of Fai so that he could begin changing. "Fai! Go somewhere else!"

Fai looked over at Hiroto, raising a brow. "Why? I have the same parts as you."

Kurogane knelt in front of Hiroto, distracting him from Fai. "What is it, father?" Hiroto asked.

"How would you like your own room from now on?" Kurogane asked. "You're getting big, don't you think?"

Hiroto's eyes lit up. "Really?! My own room?!"

Fai smiled and knelt down beside Kurogane, reaching out to ruffle Hiroto's hair. "Only if you can handle it."

"I can!" Hiroto cried immediately. "I'm strong! And brave!"

Fai and Kurogane looked at each other, and Fai shrugged. "Okay. Let's move you in."

* * *

"It's strange to not have Hiro-chan in here," Fai said as he stretched out on the futon before curling up like a cat.

Kurogane shrugged and sat down next to Fai. "At least we have some privacy now."

Fai smiled knowingly. "Ahh, so that's why you wanted him in his own room, Kuro-pervert."

Kurogane lied down and pulled Fai on top of him, resting his hands on the blonde's hips. "I figured you'd be happy about this, seeing as how you're always dragging me into corners and closets to get privacy."

Fai shrugged, the action causing his long hair to fall over his shoulders. "I had to get some alone time with you. If not, I'd probably go crazy."

"And now we have all night to be—" Kurogane stopped and looked at the door.

"What?" Fai asked.

Kurogane gently pushed Fai off of him. "Who's there?"

After a moment, the door slid open, revealing Hiroto, clad in his small, sleeping kimono. Fai sat up and frowned. "Hiro-chan? What's wrong?" He asked, noticing the tears sticking to Hiroto's eyelashes.

Hiroto looked down. "Um… I…"

Fai looked at Kurogane and then smiled, looking to Hiroto. "Come here, Hiro-chan."

Hiroto immediately ran over to them, burrowing himself in the middle of their futon. Kurogane rolled his eyes, but reached down to stroke Hiroto's hair, which spiked naturally like his own. "Did you get scared?" He asked.

Hiroto just sniffled and wiped his eyes with his fists. Fai smiled and lied down next to Hiroto. "Well, it's a good thing you came back," Fai said. "We were getting really scared without you here to protect us. Especially your father."

Hiroto's eyes widened and he looked at his father. "Really?"

Kurogane scoffed. "Of course not."

Fai smiled. "He's just embarrassed," He whispered to Hiroto, who laughed.

"Don't worry, father! I'm here now!" Hiroto said, looking up at Kurogane.

Kurogane grunted and looked away, but not before reaching over and messing up Hiroto's hair.

* * *

Kurogane sat on the roka, watching as Hiroto ran around the courtyard while swinging around his wooden sword. Fai walked over to him after changing into a simple, blue kimono and sat down.

"I think we should get him a real sword," Kurogane said as he watched Hiroto try to cut a butterfly.

"But he's only 7," Fai said. "Aren't you scared that he'll hurt himself?"

"Of course I am," Kurogane snapped. "But he needs to begin training early. The sooner he learns, the sooner he'll be able to fight."

Fai chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, Kuro-protective. We all know that you won't let Hiro-chan fight for a long time."

"Well, I wouldn't send him out to fight tomorrow," Kurogane said, crossing his arms. "But maybe in a few years."

"A few years?" Fai asked, looking up at Kurogane. "Kuro-rin, I know you, and I know that there's no way you'll be sending him out to fight for a long time. You're too scared that he'll get hurt."

Kurogane scowled and looked away. "I'm not scared… I just… Worry."

Fai smiled and leaned against Kurogane. "And that's why I love you, Kuro-puu."

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "Whatever… idiot."

* * *

"Training again?"

Hiroto stopped and looked up, finding Fai standing on the roka surrounding the courtyard in his robes. He scowled and looked at the sword in his hand. "Father has been leaving a lot," He said. "I need to become strong so that I can fight for him and let him rest."

Fai chuckled and stepped onto the grass, walking over to Hiroto. "You are just like your father, you know." He smiled knowingly, the lines that had appeared around his eyes crinkling a bit. "But don't worry, Hiro-chan. You're strong enough."

"Not strong enough to fight with father," Hiroto said, looking at the grass.

Fai sighed and put his hand onto Hiroto's shoulder. "It's not that you're not strong enough, it's just that your father doesn't want to put you in danger. You're only 14, Hiro-chan. You'll have time to fight."

Hiroto looked up at Fai. "Why is it that you always sound so wise?"

Fai smiled almost mischievously. "What do you expect from the town's priest? Now go wash up, you smell like a monkey."

Hiroto scowled at him, and Fai's head fell back as he began to laugh. "Why are you laughing?!" Hiroto yelled, narrowing his eyes.

"You just look so much like Kuro-sama!" Fai cried while laughing. "It's like going back in time! You really are just like your father!"

After getting Fai to stop laughing at him, Hiroto sat down on the roka with Fai sitting at his side. "Fai, how long have you known father?"

Fai hummed in thought. "How old am I again?" He mumbled. "42, and we met when… Hmm, if my math is right, about 35 years."

Hiroto's eyes widened. "Really? That long?"

Fai nodded. "Although, we weren't friends when we first met. Your father didn't like me very much, so he bullied me."

Hiroto looked at Fai in shock. "Father bullied you? But… Father has always taught me that bullying is wrong!"

Fai smiled softly. "Because he always felt horrible for bullying me. He wants to make sure you don't bully anyone, that you don't make the same mistake he did."

"So if he bullied you, how did you two become married?" Hiroto asked, tilting his head.

"Well, one day we talked, and we cleared things up," Fai explained. "After that, we became very close. Then we became even closer, and we got married."

"So you two love each other, right?" Hiroto asked.

Fai nodded. "I love your father more than anything." He smiled and nudged Hiroto. "Except for you, of course."

Hiroto smiled a bit. "I hope I can fall in love with someone like father did with you."

Fai smiled, shaking his head. "Oh, Hiro-chan. Trust me, you'll find someone. And with your charms and looks, it'll take no time for the girls to be all over you."

"You think?" Hiroto asked.

"I know," Fai said. "I mean, you're just like your father, and—"

"What are you telling him, idiot?"

Hiroto turned around and a smile broke out across his face. "Father!" He cried when he saw Kurogane standing behind them.

Fai smiled. "I was just telling him that he'll find a girl in no time! Don't you think, Kuro-rin?"

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "He doesn't need to be worrying about that right now, idiot."

"But he's already 14!" Fai argued. "He needs to start looking for a girl before he becomes all old and crusty like you."

"What did you say?!" Kurogane yelled.

Fai laughed and stood up. "What's wrong, Kuro-old? Sensitive about your age?" He asked. Kurogane lunged at Fai, who dodged and ran out onto the grass with Kurogane right behind him. "Get the doctor ready before your father breaks his hip!" Fai cried through his laughter.

"Get over here, you damn idiot!" Kurogane yelled.

Through it all, Hiroto laughed.


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: The family is happy, but a change in Fai causes Kurogane to worry.**

**Only 4 more chapters, and then an epilogue left! I can't believe so many weeks have flown by so quickly! Please follow, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

"Hiroto, grab your sword. You're going on a demon hunt with me."

Fai and Hiroto looked up from the book they were looking at, finding Kurogane standing over them. "Really?" Hiroto asked, his eyes growing in excitement.

Kurogane nodded. "Go get dressed. And hurry, we don't want them to get any closer to Suwa."

Hiroto nodded and jumped up, running away before anyone could even think of stopping him. Fai closed the book and stood up as well, looking up at Kurogane. "You're seriously taking him out to fight a real demon?" He asked.

Kurogane nodded. "It's about time I do. He needs to be prepared in case something happens and he needs to go out to battle."

Fai nodded and patted the chest plate Kurogane was wearing. "He's so much like you that it's scary. He loves training and fighting. I don't think there's been a day since he's gotten a real sword that he hasn't asked me to watch him train."

Kurogane nodded and looked at the book in Fai's arms. "He's like you too, you know. There's no way I'd ever be interested in a book like that when I was younger. Hell, I'm not interested in that book now."

Fai laughed and leaned against Kurogane. "Hmm, a little like you, a little like me, and then a bit of his own unique personality… No wonder Hiro-chan is such a great kid."

"Are you ever going to stop calling him by that damn nickname?" Kurogane asked.

"Hmm? What do you mean, Kuro-chan?" Fai asked, smiling at Kurogane as if baiting him to say or do something.

Kurogane felt a vein pop out on his forehead and closed his eyes. "You damn…"

"I'm ready, father!" Hiroto cried as he ran over to them, his sword on his hip.

Kurogane nodded and looked at Fai. "We'll be back as soon as possible. It's getting late, so get some sleep."

Fai nodded. "Be careful you two."

* * *

"Father, you—"

"I said be quiet, Hiroto."

"But you're bleeding!"

"Shut up! Do you want to wake Fai up?"

"Well, shouldn't he know?"

"Of course not."

Hiroto crossed his arms and glared at his father, who was standing next to him and giving back the same glare. A bit of blood dripped down Kurogane's face, and just the fact that he had gotten injured annoyed him enough. He didn't want Fai yelling at him about it, too.

"Go to bed, Hiroto. I'll get this wrapped up and tell Fai about it in the morning. We don't need to worry him now," Kurogane said, putting his hand onto Hiroto's shoulder.

"Worry me about what?"

The two froze and turned to look over their shoulders, finding Fai standing behind them, his arms crossed. His hair was down and a black cotton patch covered his eye, proving that he had just gotten out of bed.

Hiroto turned around and gave a nervous smile, not wanting to rat his father out. "F-Fai! Did we wake you?" He asked, trying to distract Fai.

"No, I hadn't gotten to bed yet," Fai said. "I strengthened the barriers and then began getting ready for bed. By the time I lied down, I heard you two walking by. So, what are you going to tell me in the morning?"

"H-He was going to tell you that I killed this huge demon!" Hiroto said, jumping between his father and Fai.

Fai raised a brow and looked at Kurogane, who still hadn't turned around completely. "Kuro-sama, turn around before I hex you."

Kurogane sighed and turned around, revealing his bloody face to Fai. Fai's eye widened, and Hiroto stepped out of the way so that Fai could step closer to Kurogane.

"What happened?" Fai asked as he looked at the cut on Kurogane's head.

"A demon tried to hit me," Kurogane said quietly, glaring at Hiroto to get him to leave. Hiroto's eyes widened and he nodded, scurrying off before Fai would get angry at him, too.

"This is a small cut for a demon," Fai said, knowing how large a demon's claws were.

"It _tried_ to hit me," Kurogane said. "I dodged it."

"So then, how did this happen?" Fai asked, crossing his arms.

Kurogane sighed. "I tripped and… And I hit my head on a rock, okay?"

Kurogane shut his eyes, preparing himself for Fai's yelling about how he should be more careful. He opened his eyes when he heard Fai make a small noise and saw the blonde pressing his lips tightly together.

"Oi—"

Fai burst into laughter, unable to contain it any longer. Kurogane felt his cheeks heat up as he watched Fai lean against the wall for support as he wiped his eyes.

"Oi! What's so funny?" Kurogane asked gruffly.

"You!" Fai cried, still laughing. "You go out to fight a demon and you come back with a wound from a rock!"

Kurogane scowled and crossed his arms, waiting for Fai to stop. He didn't know what was worse, Fai yelling at him or Fai laughing at him.

Eventually, Fai stopped and leaned against Kurogane. "I'm sorry, Kuro-puu. Come on, I'll bandage you up myself."

Kurogane nodded and followed Fai to their bedroom. Fai lit a candle and instructed Kurogane to sit down while he got the supply of medicine and bandages they kept in their room out of the closet. He sat down in front of Kurogane and began wiping the blood away, being careful not to irritate the cut too much.

"Are you alright?" Kurogane asked as Fai cleaned the wound. "You look pale."

Fai looked at him and smiled. "I just have a bit of a headache."

"And?" Kurogane asked, knowing that there was more to it than that.

"And I'm tired," Fai said as he rubbed some ointment onto the cut. "I haven't gotten to sleep yet. I'll be better in the morning."

Kurogane nodded and watched Fai carefully as he covered the wound with a bandage.

Fai smiled and began putting everything away. "There, you're all patched up." He stood up and put the medicine away before going to the futon to lie down.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Kurogane asked after blowing out the candle and lying down.

Fai smiled. "Trust me, Kuro-worry. I'm just fine." It was quiet for a few minutes. "So, did Hiro-chan really kill a huge demon?"

"Yep," Kurogane answered in the darkness. "In one blow."

Fai smiled to himself and closed his eyes. "That's our Hiro-chan."

* * *

Kurogane woke up the next morning and blinked slowly, forcing his brain to fully wake up. He sat up and looked around, not seeing Fai brushing his hair or putting on his robes. He looked down and was surprised to see Fai still dead asleep, as if it were the middle of the night.

He reached over and shook Fai gently, causing the blonde to groan and hide his face. "Five more minutes…" He mumbled into the blanket.

"You have to get up," Kurogane said. "You have duties to attend to, remember?"

Fai sighed and nodded, lowering the blanket and sitting up slowly. He rubbed his eyes and yawned before getting up and dragging himself to his mirror to begin brushing his hair.

Kurogane watched him with a frown. He had never once woken up before Fai. Before they shared a room, Kurogane would often wake up and hear Fai already walking around outside while talking to different people. Fai was a natural morning person and had more energy than he knew what to do with, even when he had just woken up. Seeing Fai so groggy made Kurogane feel a bit uncomfortable.

Kurogane stood up and changed into some simple clothes. "Do you want some tea?"

Fai looked up at him and smiled weakly. "That would be great."

Kurogane nodded and left the room, finding a servant to make some tea for him. After running off, the servant came back a few minutes later with two steaming glasses, which Kurogane took from him. He walked back into the room, surprised to find Fai exactly where he had left him.

"Oi," Kurogane said, getting Fai's attention.

Fai looked up and blinked. "Oh, Kuro-sama." He reached out and took the tea Kurogane handed him. "Thank you. It smells wonderful."

"You haven't even picked your robes out yet," Kurogane said as Fai took a sip.

Fai sighed and lowered his drink. "I'm just so tired." He looked up at Kurogane with a pleading look in his eye. "Can't I sleep for just a little longer?"

Kurogane swallowed and nodded, unable to say no to Fai when he looked at him like a lost puppy (or kitten, as Fai liked to call himself). He took the tea from Fai and helped him back into bed.

"Try not to sleep too long, alright?" Kurogane asked as he left.

Kurogane stood outside and looked down at the barely touched tea. He glanced back at the door behind him and sighed. Something was wrong, but he had no idea what.


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Not much to say. Time is passing, and Kurogane has even more to worry about.**

* * *

The next year passed without an incident. Kurogane gave Hiroto a new sword to help him hunt the demons, and Fai strengthened the barriers and constantly teased the two of them.

Kurogane began worrying more about Fai, though. The blonde began sleeping in as late as Kurogane did everyday, and some days he would beg to sleep longer and would sleep well into the afternoon. Fai always tried to get Kurogane to stop worrying about him, insisting that it was just his old age catching up to him, but Kurogane refused to believe that. He could still go out and fight demons, so why couldn't Fai at least have the energy to get out of bed?

Kurogane tried not to think of it though. He knew that Fai hated being worried about and watched over. However, as the months wore on, Fai lost more and more energy. Even if he got out of bed, he was sluggish throughout the whole day, preferring to sit and drink tea rather than help Hiroto train or go on a walk through Suwa with Kurogane.

Then, as he lost more and more energy, the headaches began. In the beginning, they weren't too painful and they didn't happen too often, but they hindered Fai from performing his duties.

But day by day, Fai got worse and worse. "Please let me sleep longer," Fai whispered one day when Kurogane had woken him up, his face creased with pain. "My head aches."

The most painful headaches left Fai in bed for a few hours, but they would pass eventually and Fai would act as if nothing were wrong. Kurogane sighed as he walked down the roka one fall day. Perhaps it really was Fai's age, and maybe Kurogane would feel the effects of it soon as well.

But Kurogane's parents had never been like this, except when his mother became much sicker and neared the end of her life.

Kurogane stopped. He didn't want to even think it, but it could be true. Fai could really be sick.

"Lord Fai!"

Kurogane looked up and ran forward, rounding the corner and stopping when he saw a few servants gathered around Fai, who was lying face down on the roka, his hair, which had fallen from its tie, covering his face. Kurogane ran forward, kneeling in front of Fai and gently rolling him over.

Fai's eyes were closed, his brows furrowed together as he took shallow breaths, and Kurogane could feel his skin burning when his hand brushed against Fai's cheek. Kurogane carefully carried Fai to their bedroom and changed him into a sleeping robe while waiting for the doctor, who came a few minutes later.

"He does have a fever," The doctor said. "But we can't tell anything else until he wakes up. We'll just have to wait."

So they waited, waited for three days while Fai didn't wake up once. Kurogane didn't want to leave Fai's side, but with Fai unable to strengthen the barriers, Kurogane had to go out and fight the demons able to get through.

He sighed as he walked into their bedroom, rubbing his eyes. He looked up, finding Fai sitting up and looking around. "Kuro-sama?" Fai asked in a raspy voice when he saw the taller male.

Kurogane went over to him and knelt beside him. "How are you feeling?"

Fai closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. "Horrible."

Kurogane sighed and touched Fai's forehead, which was still burning. "Just rest. I'll call the doctor in."

Fai nodded and lied down, falling back asleep almost immediately.

* * *

"I've seen this a few times," A doctor sent from the capital said after a week of observing Fai, who was still sick in bed. "Although we aren't sure what it is, we do know the symptoms. He will be weakened as time passes, which takes a considerable toll on his energy, as I know you've seen already. He'll also get fevers, which could last anywhere from one day to a month. Chronic headaches and coughing are also some symptoms some patients show, but not always."

Kurogane looked at Fai, and then at the doctor. "Is it," He paused, "Fatal?"

"Not immediately," The doctor explained. "When Fai is not sick with a fever, he will be able to get up and move around, but not for very long, due to his fatigue and possible headaches. However, as time passes, he will grow weaker, and in a few years he will be completely bedridden. Once that stage comes, he'll—"

"Okay," Kurogane interrupted, his eyes shut. "We get it. You don't have to go on."

The doctor nodded in understanding and stood up. "I'll request for a priestess to be brought here immediately to take over Fai's duties."

Fai smiled softly. "Thank you," He said quietly. The doctor nodded and bowed, and then left the room. Fai closed his eyes, and then opened them slowly to look up at Kurogane. "You know, I always thought that you would die before me," He said, as if trying to make light of the situation.

Kurogane swallowed and looked down. The same helplessness he felt when his mother became sick crept back into his heart, leaving an empty feeling in his stomach. Why did Fai have to become sick? Fai only helped, he protected Suwa and taught Kurogane's son good morals, so why did he have to be the one to suffer now?

"This is probably because of my fading magic," Fai said quietly. "Magic fades over time, you know. I read in a book your mother gave me that when a magician loses all of his magic, he dies. Perhaps losing half of my magic just… sped up the process."

Kurogane took Fai's hand, feeling as if he could break it if he squeezed too hard. "Fai…"

The door opened and Hiroto peeked in. "Fai? Are you alright?"

Fai pushed himself into a sitting position and smiled. "Yes, come in, Hiro-chan."

Hiroto came in and sat on the other side of Fai, his hands forming tight fists in his lap. "What did the doctor say? Is there something wrong with you? Are you—"

"It's nothing for you to worry about," Fai said softly, covering Hiroto's hand with his own. Kurogane shot Fai a look, but said nothing. "Hiro-chan, could you do me a favor?"

Hiroto nodded. "Anything!"

Fai smiled. "I need you to go to town and buy me some herbs. If I make myself some tea then I'll feel better."

After sending Hiroto off with a long list of herbs to purchase, Fai sighed and lied back down, closing his eyes as if simply sitting up had taken all of his energy. "You can't lie to him," Kurogane said. "He'll find out eventually."

"And we'll tell him eventually," Fai said quietly. "But I don't want him to worry now." He smiled and took Kurogane's hand. "He's just like you; so protective and worrisome. I love it."

Kurogane swallowed and hunched his shoulders a bit, looking down at their hands. "Just rest and let this fever pass," He said quietly. "How are you feeling now?"

Fai let out a long breath, and then broke into a fit of coughs. Kurogane was hovering over him in a moment, helping him sit up and rubbing his back. Fai eventually stopped and sighed. "I feel better than I did," He said quietly. "But still bad. My throat is so dry, no matter how much water I drink, and my body aches all over." He looked at Kurogane. "I'm sorry… You and your men have been going out everyday to fight the demons because I can't—"

"Don't," Kurogane interrupted. "It's not your fault, so don't apologize."

Fai smiled and lied down again, thanking Kurogane as he fell back asleep.

* * *

"Shouldn't you be resting?"

Fai looked up, smiling a bit when he saw Hiroto looking down at him. Fai needed some fresh air, so he had gone out to sit on the deck, a plain kimono on with a blanket covering his shoulders.

"Ah, Hiro-chan, just like your father," Fai said, smiling. "I felt better, and I needed some air, so I came out here. And it's such a perfect day to sit outside, don't you think?"

Hiroto frowned and went over to sit down next to Fai. "But you should be in bed. You just recovered from your fever."

Fai smiled and reached up to ruffle Hiroto's black hair fondly. "I needed to make some tea anyway, and it's much easier to see when I'm in the sunlight. Besides, it's warm out, and I'm not even moving. I'm fine, Hiro-chan. Now where's Kuro-rin, out fighting demons?"

Hiroto shook his head. "No, I think he's greeting the priestess that came to strengthen the barriers."

Fai nodded slowly. "I see…"

"It's not your fault, you know," Hiroto said suddenly. "I can see it in your eyes. You feel guilty about not being able to strengthen the barriers. But it's not your fault; you didn't choose to get sick. So don't look like that, okay? Just worry about getting better."

Fai looked at Hiroto and then smiled, closing his eye and tilting his head towards the sky. "You truly are your father's child."

"But you're my father too," Hiroto said, looking down. "I know I don't call you father or anything, but… I really think of you as my father, too. You taught me almost everything I know, and you've always been there for me. So please… Please don't blame yourself."

Fai stared at Hiroto in shock, watching as tears filled the boy's red eyes. Fai smiled and reached his arm out to wrap around Hiroto and pull him close, kissing the top of his head.

"Thank you, Hiro-chan," Fai whispered, a small smile on his face. "I love you."

Hiroto sniffed and nodded, burying his face into Fai's chest.

Kurogane had arrived back and watched from the open door with his arms crossed, deciding not to interrupt. Instead, he simply stared with a small, proud smile on his face.

* * *

**AN: ps i totally made those symptoms up. i was just too lazy to research real diseases and i am sorry :(**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Kurogane has to deal with the fact that Fai is growing sicker by the day.**

* * *

Fai refused to let his illness hinder him too much. When he didn't have a fever, he could still get up and walk around, and even strengthen the barriers sometimes. It was hard for him, since he felt as if all of his energy had been stolen from him, but it was better than sitting in bed all day.

Kurogane worried, but Hiroto worried more, insisting that someone stay with Fai at all times in case something happened. Kurogane let Hiroto try, knowing that Fai would find a way to sneak away from the servants Hiroto set up for him. It was amusing to watch, really, as the servants ran around trying to find Fai.

Kurogane made Hiroto feel better by promising to stay with Fai every minute he wasn't training his men or fighting demons. It made Kurogane feel better, seeing Fai smiling and walking around, the color returning to his face. He would cough a bit, but other than that, Kurogane could almost pretend that Fai was perfectly fine.

However, when Fai came down with a fever, reality would slap them all in the face. The fevers would last weeks at a time, leaving Fai bedridden, unable to even lift a glass to drink some water. He shivered under piles of blankets, even as sweat dripped down his face, and groaned with every movement. It was the worst when he coughed, which made his aching body shake, his weak lungs hurt, and his raw throat catch on fire.

"Are you feeling any better?" Kurogane asked as he looked down at Fai, who had just woken up from a fitful sleep. Fai shook his head, his teeth clenched together as his body shook.

Kurogane sighed and lifted Fai's head a bit, picking up a small bowl and tipping it against Fai's lips. While Fai was sick, he could eat next to nothing, so Kurogane had to settle with feeding him with broths, which left his cheeks sunken in and his ribs showing. Anything more would always be too harsh on Fai's stomach.

Fai eventually turned his head away. "N-No more," He whispered.

Kurogane nodded and put the bowl down, knowing that Fai's throat most likely hurt too much for him to swallow anything more. Fai suddenly groaned and pushed his eyebrows together in a familiar looking pain and Kurogane felt his heart stop. A headache.

They had gotten worse as time went on and came unexpectedly, leaving Fai in pain so horrible that he could do nothing but lie in bed, even if he had been just fine a few minutes prior. One day Kurogane had woken up to Fai screaming because of the pain in his head, saying that it felt as if his head was about to split open. Fortunately, they didn't happen too often, but when they did, it was the worst—especially if they came during one of Fai's fevers.

Kurogane stroked Fai's hair to soothe him and frowned. "I'll be right back," He said as he stood up and left the room, coming back a few minutes later with a bowl of steaming water and a washcloth.

He moved Fai's hair and got the cloth wet, ringing it out before placing it over Fai's forehead. He watched in relief as the heat spread, smoothing out the lines of pain that had creased Fai's pale skin.

Kurogane watched helplessly as Fai lay there, occasionally whimpering or groaning in pain. There was nothing he could do but watch. When Fai wasn't feeling sick, he taught Hiroto how to make teas to soothe his pains and soups to help break his fevers, but they didn't work. The tea did nothing for his head and only soothed his throat for a few minutes, and the soups only made him sleepy.

Kurogane couldn't even feed Fai fish, like he used to do with his mother, because Fai couldn't swallow anything. He couldn't even pretend that he was helping; he couldn't feel as if he was doing something to make a difference. All he could do was watch Fai while he was in pain and hope that the pain wasn't as bad as it seemed.

Hiroto came in a few minutes later with a bowl of soup and helped Kurogane feed it to Fai. The herbs in the soup made Fai's breathing slow and his body relax as he fell into a deep sleep, and Kurogane sighed. Hopefully when he woke up, the headache would be gone.

However, as Fai slept, Kurogane watched as he kicked some of his blankets off and moved around more in his sleep. Kurogane smiled as he watched because those were signs of Fai's fever breaking. His body would begin returning to a normal temperature, so the blankets would make him too hot, and his muscles would stop aching, which allowed him to roll over in his sleep.

And then, when Fai woke up, he looked up at Kurogane and smiled, and Kurogane knew that the fever had broken.

* * *

Just as the doctor said, as the years passed, Fai grew weaker.

One day, when Fai wasn't sick, the two were walking around the estate together when Fai suddenly leaned heavily against Kurogane's arm. "Hey, you okay?" Kurogane asked, not shaking Fai off like he would have before Fai became ill.

Fai nodded. "Just tired," He said quietly.

He began leaning on Kurogane more and more, and one day, when he seemed perfectly healthy, his knees buckled and he crashed to the floor.

"I-I'm fine," He insisted as he tried to push himself up, his arms shaking as he tried to support his body weight. "I…" He whispered as Kurogane knelt beside him. "I'm… I'm fine…"

Fai lowered his head and Kurogane lifted him with ease to carry him back to their room. They tried testing him the next day, but he had lost the strength to hold himself up at all.

* * *

Everything grew worse when Fai became bedridden. The fevers, the headaches, everything. Kurogane was barely sleeping because of his worry, opting to sit beside Fai through the night when one of his fevers hit.

A few months passed, and then the fevers began delivering delerium.

Kurogane woke up to Fai's muttering voice and he sat up, looking down at Fai, who was staring up at the ceiling with a far off gaze. "Fai?" He whispered.

Fai blinked slowly. "Kuro… Kuro, is that you?" He asked quietly. He smiled. "You… good?"

Kurogane blinked. "Am I…? Fai, what are you saying?"

Fai blinked again. "Swords… You good?"

Kurogane swallowed and his memories were back in his childhood, back to his very first conversation with Fai, back when Fai could barely speak Nihongo. He smiled sadly and took Fai's hand. "I'm… The best in all of Suwa," He said, remembering when he said the same thing all those decades ago.

"Young… Lord," Fai whispered. "I thought… I thought…"

"We're friends," Kurogane said quickly. "You thought that we were friends… We are. We're best friends."

Fai smiled and closed his eye. "Young lord… Kurogane…"

Kurogane sat there, waiting for Fai to say something else, but Fai had fallen into a deep sleep.

* * *

Fai opened his eye when the door slid open and smiled when he saw Hiroto. "Hey, Hiro-chan," He said quietly.

Hiroto frowned and walked inside, closing the door behind him. He knelt beside Fai and swallowed. "Are you feeling any better?"

Fai shrugged. "I feel fine," He said. "Just tired."

Hiroto opened his mouth and then closed it again, looking down at his hands. "I went to the river to catch you a fish… I heard that fish are good for keeping your strength up."

Fai smiled softly and took Hiroto's hand. "Thank you, Hiro-chan."

The door opened and Kurogane walked in, still sweaty from training. "You should be sleeping," He said as soon as he saw Fai.

Fai sighed and shook his head. "I've been sleeping all day. I don't think I could sleep anymore even if I wanted to."

Kurogane shot Hiroto a glance, and Hiroto nodded. He smiled at Fai. "I'll be back tomorrow. Please rest well."

Fai nodded. "Thank you, Hiro-chan. The same to you."

Hiroto nodded and stood up to leave, giving his father a somber look as he did so. Kurogane sighed and went over to sit beside Fai. "How are you feeling?"

"I wonder if there's anyone he likes," Fai said, ignoring Kurogane's question. "How old is he now, 19? 20? There must be one girl he thinks is cute."

"He's too worried about you to find a girl," Kurogane said quietly.

Fai sighed and closed his eye. "He went out to catch me a fish today… He said it's good for your health. Didn't you used to do that for your mother?"

Kurogane nodded. "I did… But it made no difference."

"But it's nice to think that you're helping, right?" Fai whispered, his eye still closed. "Even if you know nothing you do will change anything."

Kurogane didn't say anything. He looked at Fai, at his hair that seemed dull, at the skin that was sunken in and ashy. Behind Fai's eyelid, Kurogane knew that his blue eye had lost its shine.

"You'll get better," Kurogane whispered. "It'll just take some time. You won't die for a long time."

Fai didn't say anything, and Kurogane realized that it was because he had fallen asleep.


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: SOOOO SORRY! I just realized that I forgot to update on sunday.**

**Fai gets sicker and Kurogane can't do a thing about it.**

* * *

The delusions got worse and worse as time wore on, happening only when Fai's fevers hit and he couldn't tell the past from the present. Sometimes Fai would simply repeat old conversations with Kurogane, or begin talking about something he had seen when he was child. Those times weren't so bad for Kurogane, or for Fai. They were peaceful memories resurfacing.

But then there were the other memories.

Kurogane had left one day to get some herbal tea for Fai, who was having trouble sleeping through the pains of his fever. He looked up when he heard a scream and ran the rest of the way back to the room, slamming the door open and finding Fai thrashing on the bed while begging for someone to leave him alone.

Kurogane ran over to him and lifted him up with one arm. "Fai, it's me," He said quietly.

"No! No, let go of me!" Fai cried, his flailing arm hitting the glass out of Kurogane's hand and causing it to break on the floor. Kurogane let it fall, paying all of his attention to Fai. "No, stop! Please don't do this!" He screamed.

"Fai, what's happening?" Kurogane asked. "Is someone trying to hurt you?"

Fai screamed and reached up to cover his eyes, and Kurogane felt his chest ache. Is this what Fai had been screaming when his eye had been gouged out? When he was left alone in the estate with no one to protect him, leaving him to beg and scream for mercy?

Kurogane leaned down so that his lips were near Fai's ear. He knew that Hiroto and a few servants had gathered outside of the door that he had left open, worry on all of their faces. He didn't have time to worry about them, though.

"Fai, it's over now," He whispered softly into Fai's ear. "It's over, those men aren't here anymore."

Fai reached out and clutched Kurogane's clothes tightly in his hands, his fists shaking. "Don't let them take me away," He whispered, staring up at Kurogane without truly seeing him. "Don't let them take my magic! I want to stay here! Suwa is my home!"

Kurogane's hand tightened on Fai's shoulder and he pulled the mage closer to him, wrapping his arms around his frail body and squeezing their bodies together as much as he could. "No one is going to take you away, Fai," He whispered. "You're safe here. I'm protecting you, and I'm going to make sure that no one ever hurts you."

Fai's face was buried into Kurogane's chest, and Kurogane could feel him gripping the back of his shirt. "K-Kurogane…" Fai whispered. The two stayed like that until Fai eventually fell asleep.

Kurogane gently laid Fai down and stood up, watching as two servants quietly came in to clean up the spilled tea. He waited until they had left and then left the room himself, not wanting to disturb Fai's sleep. He grabbed his sword on the way out, wanting something to do.

"What happened to him, father?" Hiroto asked as he followed his father down the roka.

"What do you mean?" Kurogane asked gruffly. He sat on the roka in front of the courtyard and took his blade out to begin polishing it.

"Fai's eye," Hiroto said as he sat next to his father. "Did someone really…?"

"Yes," Kurogane said sharply. "Someone was trying to get Fai's magic and gouged one of his eyes out. He would have gouged the other one out too, if he had the chance."

"Father…" Hiroto said quietly, watching as his father cleaned his sword. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"That… idiot doesn't like to talk about it," Kurogane said. He suddenly shoved his sword back into its sheath and stood up. "I'm getting some sake."

Hiroto watched as his father left, staying where he was. He swallowed and buried his face into his hands helplessly.

* * *

When Kurogane returned to his room, Fai was awake and sitting up. He saw Kurogane and smiled. "I think my fever broke," He said. "I feel much better."

Kurogane nodded and sat down next to Fai. "That's good," He said quietly. "This was a bad one."

"Oh yeah?" Fai asked, smiling. "I hope I wasn't too much trouble for you, Kuro-rin."

When Fai's fevers broke, he could never remember what he had said or what he had done. And it left Kurogane faced with the reality that Fai was slowly leaving him.

* * *

Kurogane walked into the bedroom, shocked to find Fai sitting up, all of his robes and kimonos strewn around him. He looked at the open closet, and then back to Fai.

"How did you get these?" He asked, sitting down next to Fai.

Fai smiled and shook his head. "I woke up and I felt better, so I tried sitting up, then I tried standing. I was only able to stand long enough to get these down, though." He picked up a pale blue kimono and smiled. "This reminds me of a kimono your mother gave me when I was younger."

Kurogane looked at the different silks littering their floor, and then at Fai. "So… You feel stronger? I mean, you were able to stand, something you haven't been able to do in months. Maybe… Maybe you're getting better."

Fai's fingers tightened around the kimono and he stiffly put it back onto the floor. "Yes… Maybe."

He reached over and picked up the furisode he had worn at their wedding, with the blue phoenix on the back. Kurogane watched as he traced the stitching with his fingers, a soft smile on his lips. "Are you alright?" Kurogane asked quietly.

Fai nodded and held the furisode to his chest. "I'm just fine, Kuro-tan. I'm just getting lost in the memories."

Kurogane reached out and picked up a kimono that was made from lavender colored silk. "You were wearing this when I came back from one of my demon hunts. You didn't even take the time to change into your robes, you just went straight to the shrine. When I came back a day later, you were still wearing this."

Fai looked at Kurogane, who was looking down at the kimono. "You… Remember that?"

Kurogane looked up at Fai. "I remember everything that has to do with you. Everything you've ever done or said… I'll never forget it."

Fai's bottom lip trembled a bit, a lump forming in his throat. He coughed quietly and picked up a dark blue kimono. "You wore this at a wedding," He said quietly. "You tried to get out of it, because you thought weddings were boring, but I convinced you to wear it. By the end of the night, you wanted to kill whoever looked at you because people kept on commenting on how shocking it was to see you in something so nice."

Fai laughed quietly and Kurogane couldn't help but chuckle along. For the rest of the night, the two of them picked up different pieces of clothing, telling the memory that went along with the simple piece of silk. Eventually though, Fai began to feel dizzy, so Kurogane helped him lie down under the blanket and began putting away all of the kimonos.

He moved to sit down next to Fai, but Fai took Kurogane's hand. "You always sit there and watch me, and you don't go to sleep until I've fallen asleep," He said quietly. "Tonight… Can you sleep with me?"

Kurogane looked at Fai and, unable to resist the pleading look in his eye, nodded and moved to lie down next to Fai. He pulled the blanket over him and scooted close to Fai.

"Please hold me," Fai whispered as he closed his eye.

Kurogane nodded and wrapped his arms around Fai, who smiled softly. "You know I love you, right?" Kurogane mumbled quietly. It wasn't something he said too often, so it was hard for him to get the words out.

Fai nodded. "Of course, Kuro-sama. And I love you, too. I always…"

Fai's words trailed off as he fell asleep, the soft smile still on his lips. Kurogane watched him for a few minutes before closing his eyes and falling asleep as well.

* * *

Kurogane opened his eyes and blinked slowly. The room was completely silent—he heard no birds singing outside, no creak of the floors as people walked, no quiet murmuring between the servants, not even the wind blowing through the leaves.

He looked at Fai, who was still asleep in Kurogane's arms, his lips slightly parted.

Kurogane blinked. Something was wrong.

He swallowed and carefully let go of Fai so that he could sit up a bit and shake the blonde's shoulder. "Oi… Wake up. Wake up, it's time to get up!"

Kurogane didn't notice his voice rising as Fai didn't stir from his slumber.

"Wake up!" Kurogane yelled, panic rising in his chest. "Fai!"

He wrapped his arms around Fai's body and lifted him, Fai's head falling back limply. Kurogane lifted Fai's head with his hand, his fingers shaking as he felt the blonde hair. He pulled Fai close and buried his face into the blonde's chest, which was as still as the world outside seemed to be.

"Please," Kurogane begged quietly. "Please, wake up… Open your eyes… Wake up, I'm begging you. Please, open your eyes just one more time…"

But Fai didn't answer, and Kurogane kept on begging, pleading for Fai to wake up, even though he knew it was useless.

Fai was gone.


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: /avoids getting shot by sad kurofai fans**

**I know you're all sad and I am too :( it was pretty hard to write Fai's death. But there's only one more chapter left until the whole story is over! I can't believe so much time has passed :( be sure to read and review how you feel about this chapter!**

* * *

The funeral was on a cloudy day.

Everyone in the town gathered, watching in sorrow as Fai's body was carried towards the shrine on silk, four men at each corner to keep it steady as they slowly walked. He was in the finest robes he had with a matching patch covering his eye. His hair was down, having been brushed out carefully and surrounding his head and shoulders. White flowers surrounded his body, and his hands were folding over his stomach.

Kurogane watched from the shrine as Fai was carried towards him, clad in his finest black robes. Hiroto stood a bit behind him, his head low so that he wouldn't have to see. Tomoyo stood in front of the doors to the shrine, her violet eyes watching somberly.

Once Fai's body was in front of her, Tomoyo began the ritual, lighting incense and saying prayers for Fai's soul to find rest. She then turned and opened the doors to the shrine. Kurogane carefully lifted Fai's body and carried him inside, and Tomoyo shut the doors behind her as Kurogane set Fai's body onto a stone slab, right in front of the cremation chamber where his skin and bones would be turned to ashes.

Tomoyo whispered a few more prayers and then stepped back, allowing Kurogane to kneel beside Fai. He brushed some hair out of Fai's face and saw a flower stuck in the strands, and decided to leave it there. He swallowed and carefully lifted Fai's head, untying the patch and removing it from Fai's eye.

"When his eyes are closed," Kurogane whispered quietly, and Tomoyo wasn't sure if he was talking to her or to himself. "You can't even tell that his eye is missing."

Kurogane stood up and leaned down, kissing Fai's left eye and then his forehead. He whispered something that Tomoyo could not hear, and then stepped back, helping her cover Fai's body with a white sheet. He looked away as Fai's body was pushed into the flames and closed his eyes.

"Goodbye, Fai," He whispered quietly.

* * *

Kurogane returned to his room alone, letting Hiroto accept the gifts of sympathy from the townspeople. He slid the door open and looked around, expecting to see Fai sitting in front of his beloved mirror, or lying on the futon, or lounging outside. But instead he saw emptiness with a heaviness that hung in the air like lingering music notes from a musical instrument that just stopped playing.

He sat down in front of Fai's mirror and looked at himself, then looked down at the brush Fai used every single day to comb out his hair, and at the wooden boxes Fai used to hold his hair ties and eye patches.

"You'd probably kill me if I threw these out, huh?" Kurogane asked the air. "Or annoy the hell out of me until I bought you new ones."

He blinked and looked down at the ground, holding Fai's hairbrush in his hands.

"Anytime I lost someone, you were there," He said very quietly. "So what am I supposed to do when I lose you? How do you expect me to deal with this loss when you're the one I lost?"

All Kurogane received was more heaviness in the air.

* * *

A year passed.

"Father."

Kurogane, who was sitting on the deck and looking up at the cherry blossom tree, looked to his side, finding Hiroto. "What is it?" Kurogane asked as he sipped at his sake.

Hiroto sat down next to Kurogane, looking at the ground. "We were able to kill the demons without any casualties."

Kurogane nodded. "Good. You're getting strong, you know. You're probably even stronger than I am."

Hiroto looked at Kurogane in shock. "What? No, that's not true, father, I just—"

"I can't even go out to fight the demons anymore," Kurogane said quietly. He stood up slowly, his joints aching in protest, and went inside. Hiroto followed, watching as Kurogane picked up Ginryu from where it was resting against the wall. "Here, son. It's time you had it."

Hiroto took the sword, staring at it in awe. "But… Father, I…"

"Take good care of her," Kurogane said quietly as he punched Hiroto lightly on the arm. "Why don't you go show the new priestess that arrived?"

Hiroto's eyes widened and his face became flushed. "Sh-She wouldn't be interested."

Kurogane shrugged. "You never know. Priestesses and priests can be pretty deceiving." He waved his hand over his shoulder and opened the door. "Speaking of which, I have an idiot priest to visit.

* * *

A few more years went by.

Kurogane knelt in front of the stone, feeling his knees ache in protest, bowing his head a bit. Fai's ashes had been buried with the rest of the Suwa family, right beside Kurogane's mother. He stared at the name carved in the stone and swallowed.

"Hey, you—" He stopped and swallowed again. "It's already been seven years. Hiroto got married a couple of weeks ago to this new priestess that the capital sent. I'm sure you saw though. He looked like an idiot and he kept on stumbling over his words because he was so nervous. He must have gotten that from you."

He stopped and cleared his throat.

"I've been feeling tired," He said quietly. "I've passed Suwa on to Hiroto. I have nothing left to do now, and I think my time is up. I think I'd be thinking differently if you were still here, but… I think I've done all that I can without you. I suppose all I can do now is wait."

Kurogane took a deep breath through his nose. He could practically hear Fai's voice, chastising him for giving up.

"But what else can I do?" Kurogane asked quietly. "I can't fight anymore. Hell, it hurts to even move. Something wrong with my joints, I guess."

He felt a breeze pass by and shut his eyes, hearing Fai's sigh.

"People believe that souls always find each other, right?" Kurogane asked quietly. "I bet you're already reborn by now. You better not be doing anything idiotic. I wonder if you'll end up with that Ashura guy again. If I find out he did anything to hurt you, I'll kill him again, you hear me?" He took a deep breath. "And I'm sure you're with your brother again. Hopefully this time you won't be born in a place that hates twins."

He sighed, looking down.

"And I wonder if I'll be reborn in Nihon again," He said quietly. "I bet I will. Maybe a different Nihon, but still Nihon. And I wonder how we'll meet each other again."

He shut his eyes, hearing Fai's voice in his head, laughing and teasing Kurogane for being so sentimental.

"I know that we'll meet again," Kurogane said quietly. "You'll probably still be an idiot. Maybe even more of an idiot, if I'm not there to set you straight. Just don't do anything too stupid, alright? And don't get sick again."

Kurogane sighed and bowed his head again before standing up slowly.

"I have to go back before Hiroto starts looking for me," He said quietly. "That boy worries too much. If I'm gone when it gets dark out, he thinks I've gone off to fight a demon, but I'm not some stupid old man. I know my limits." He clenched his fists and nodded towards the stone. "Goodbye, for now. I'll see you soon."

* * *

A few weeks later, Hiroto found his father in his room, lying on his futon after peacefully passing away in his sleep.


	21. Epilogue

**AN: This is it! I can't believe the story is finally over. Thanks so much for sticking with me you guys :) I hope you all enjoyed it!**

**And now, the epilogue**

* * *

Kurogane glared at the woman in front of him, hating the way she smirked at him as if she knew everything about him. Damn witch.

He didn't want to be here, in this place that this woman called Nihon but that wasn't his Nihon. He wanted to go home, to prove to Tomoyo that he did know what strength was. How could he not? He was the strongest warrior in Nihon. No one could beat him when it came to strength.

He looked at the other people here, at the boy that was holding a young girl's body like it was a lifeline. Then he looked up at the man on the other side of the boy. He was holding a tall, golden staff and wore a thick, long coat with fur trims and blue embroidery. The guy's vague smile annoyed him.

But Kurogane had to agree to travel with the guy and the kid—there was no other way for him to get back to Nihon. He even handed over his sword, his precious Ginryu. He better be back in Nihon soon in exchange for giving that up.

He opened his eyes after the small, white… thing called Mokona took them to another world. The annoying blonde guy was awake and talking to Mokona, and the kid and the girl were passed out on the ground.

"Oh, hello," The blonde guy said with a smile that was too big for Kurogane to like. "Guess I should introduce myself. I'm Fai D. Flourite. What's your name?"

Kurogane crossed his arms. "Kurogane."

"Hmm…" Fai tapped his chin. "Kurogane, huh? Too long. How about… Kuro-pon?"

Kurogane felt a vein pop out on his forehead. "What the hell did you just call me?! My name is Kurogane!"

"But Kuro-rin is so much cuter!" Fai said, laughing.

Kurogane clenched his fists, fighting the urge to punch Fai in the face. He just had to ignore him, he told himself. Just ignore him until he can get back to his own world, then it won't matter how annoying he was.

But every day he spent with Fai, the more he saw him for who he really was. Every world they travelled to revealed something new about Fai, like the fact that none of his smiles were real, or the fact that he always acted like nothing was wrong. Kurogane especially got annoyed with Fai giving vague answers when asked about his past and his life and was always able to turn the attention to someone else. But the thing Kurogane hated the most was the fact that Fai refused to use his magic, even if it meant that he would die.

How could you not care about your life at all? Life was a precious gift, Kurogane learned, which was why he protected everyone important to him. He wouldn't let anyone else that he loved die; that's why he worked so hard to be the strongest in all of Nihon. No one he cared for would get hurt ever again.

And Fai tossed around his life as if it meant nothing. Well, fine. It wasn't like Kurogane cared about that idiot anyway. If he wanted to die, then Kurogane wouldn't waste his time worrying about him.

In fact, Kurogane decided one day when Fai suddenly used his magic and got them to a world that poured acid rain, he was positive that he hated Fai.


	22. Explanation of Epilogue

**Hello guys, this is the author. I realized that maybe some people wouldn't understand the ending of the story, so I thought I'd clear things up for you all**

**So in Tsubasa, one thing I noticed that was a recurring theme was the fact that two souls that are destined to be together are always together. Anytime they met a couple in one world, that same couple would be in another world. It's like, no matter what, these two souls will always find each other.**

**The beginning of the epilogue, if you didn't notice, was actually the beginning of Tsubasa (with a few alterations, I think), with Kurogane being sent to Yuuko's shop and meeting Syaoran (aka, the kid holding onto the girl for his dear life) and Fai, and then they begin travelling together. So it's like, because Kurogane and Fai are soul mates, they were destined to find each other again, somehow. And I thought it would be an interesting idea to make this inevitable meeting within the Tsubasa story.**

**And about the ending of the epilogue, my personal belief with the whole KuroFai thing is that Kurogane realized that he loved (or at least deeply cared) for Fai in Tokyo (aka, the world that was pouring acid rain). I think this because Kurogane's whole thing was that, after his parents were killed, he vowed to protect everyone he cared for and to never let his loved ones die again, and up until Tokyo, he seemed to not care about Fai. But when Fai was about to die from losing his eye, Kurogane did everything he could to save Fai's life. I also tried to make it like the beginning of the story. If you remember back to the beginning, the first chapter ended with something along the lines of, "in fact, Kurogane was sure that he hated Fai." And we all know how that turned out in the end.**

**I hope that makes sense... Long story short, Fai and Kurogane were destined to be together, no matter what world or time they are in, so the whole story was showing their destined lives together from another world, or maybe another time, and then the epilogue shows that their meeting within the Tsubasa universe was also destiny/fate because they are meant to always be together.**

**...It makes sense in my head haha. I don't think I explained it well though... If you're confused or have any questions or anything, then just ask and I'll try to answer as best that I can.**

**Thanks again for reading this! This is probably my favorite story that I've written, out of any fanfiction I've ever written ever, so I hope I can write another one soon :)**


End file.
